473. We note the intervention from the European Union. I think firstly, as we indicated, competition-related provisions are squarely within the ambit of the TRIPS Agreement. Secondly, we believe that, as many delegations indicated, the IP and competition-related issues are complementary to one another. As a result, this is a topic which is useful. Of course, competition law in its general meaning perhaps is broadly applied, but when it comes to the application and exercise of IP rights, there may be certain abusive practices that may be regulated by the application of competition law norms. As a result, the proponents believe that there is more scope to discuss national experiences and will formulate a focused discussion, bringing out some more examples of how IP and competition law can co-exist and how the application of these norms in a complementary way will lead to increased societal benefits.
