Brussels, 21/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 20 February, the European Commission launched a consultation on a proposal for new competition rules for the assessment of technology transfer agreements, through which a licensor permits a licensee to exploit patents, know-how or software for the production of goods and services. The proposal aims to update the current regime in order to strengthen incentives for research and innovation, facilitate the diffusion of intellectual property and stimulate competition. In particular, certain types of agreements or clauses, such as the possibility to terminate an agreement if a licensee challenges the validity of the IPR or all sorts of exclusive grant-backs that oblige to license back to the licensor improvements made by the licensee, would not be automatically exempted but would have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis because they might stifle competition or innovation. The Commission also proposes to update the Guidelines, in particular to include new provisions on “patent pools”, i.e. multilateral patent licensing agreements. In light of stakeholders' submissions, the Commission will adopt a new regime before April 2014. (FG/transl.fl)