Listen to this articleOxFora’s 14th IP & Competition Forum will take place on 23–24 June 2026 in Munich under the theme “The Global Patent Chess Game: International Patent Strategy in a Fragmented World Order.” The Forum will examine how patent enforcement, competition policy and technology licensing are becoming central to global business strategy.
Patent disputes are no longer confined to the courtroom. They increasingly shape market access, licensing negotiations, investment decisions and international technology strategy.
As technology markets become more interconnected, the enforcement of patents in one jurisdiction can influence commercial outcomes across several others. A decision in Europe, Brazil, China or before the Unified Patent Court may affect not only the parties before the court, but also licensing behaviour, competitive dynamics and the strategic positioning of entire industries.
This is particularly visible in disputes involving standard-essential patents, FRAND licensing, injunctions, global rate-setting and cross-border enforcement. Questions that once appeared highly technical now carry significant economic and strategic consequences. Who may obtain an injunction? Under what conditions should a licence be granted? How should global royalty rates be determined? What happens when courts in different jurisdictions address overlapping disputes?
The Forum will bring together senior perspectives from the judiciary, patent offices, competition authorities, industry, academia and the licensing community. It will examine how international patent strategy is changing in a world where proceedings in one jurisdiction can influence licensing negotiations, market entry and enforcement outcomes elsewhere.
Key judicial and institutional perspectives will include contributions from Prof. Dr. Peter Meier-Beck, UPC Advisory Board and Presiding Judge at the German Federal Court of Justice, retired; Sir James Mellor of the High Court of England and Wales; Dr. Oliver Schoen and Dr. Hubertus Schacht of the Munich judiciary; Judge Fabian Hoffmann of the German Federal Court of Justice; Judge Victor Jaccoud Diz Torres from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Judge Juan He, Senior Judge at the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People’s Court of China.
The programme will address standard-essential patents, FRAND licensing, injunctions, long-arm jurisdiction, patent quality, competition policy, streaming, digital markets and the economics of licensing. It will also consider the strategic use of parallel proceedings and the challenges created when courts, patent offices and competition authorities approach related questions from different institutional perspectives.
A central question is whether international patent enforcement can become more predictable. Businesses need legal certainty to invest, license and innovate. Courts and regulators, meanwhile, face the difficult task of balancing effective patent protection with competition, market access and technological diffusion.
“Patent enforcement has become a matter of international strategy,” said Dr Roya Ghafele, convenor of the Forum and Managing Director of OxFirst. “Injunctions, standard-essential patents and global licensing disputes are no longer isolated legal questions. They shape market access, competition and the global economic order.”
The Forum will also include perspectives from the European Commission, patent offices, competition authorities and major technology and licensing stakeholders. Practice, economic and market perspectives will be represented by organisations including Licks Attorneys, OxFirst, Hogan Lovells, RPX and Nokia, bringing insights from international patent litigation, patent valuation, patent risk management, licensing strategy and the commercial realities facing global technology companies.
The purpose of the Forum is not merely to discuss legal doctrine. It is to understand how patent enforcement now interacts with markets, competition and international economic strategy. In a fragmented world order, patents have become more than technical rights. They are instruments that can influence bargaining power, market entry, investment and industrial positioning.
The 14th IP & Competition Forum will take place on 23–24 June 2026 in Munich.
To join the Forum, register interest, or explore speaking and sponsorship opportunities, visit:
OxFora.org
Further information on OxFirst’s work in IP economics, valuation and competition analysis is available at:
OxFirst.com
Email: info@oxfirst.com to register your interest
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