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Field-Of-Use Restrictions As Precompetitive Elements In Patent And Know-How Licensing Agreements In The United States And The European Communities, Thomas C. Meyers

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The courts of both the United States and the European Communities have upheld the legality of various licensing restrictions. One such restriction, the "field-of-use" restriction, is the subject of this article. A field-of-use restriction prohibits a licensee from realizing the benefits of the license in certain technical fields. Field-of-use restrictions are usually written as restricting use to a particular field rather than listing prohibited fields… This article first sets forth an economic justification for the legality of field-of-use restrictions, concluding that such restrictions are usually pro-competitive. The article then analyzes the relevant law in both the United States and the …