Greg Dowell

Senior Knowledge Lawyer, Macfarlanes

Greg is the senior knowledge lawyer for the firm’s competition team, and is responsible for the team’s knowledge management function.

Greg trained at Macfarlanes and, post-qualification, worked in the firm’s competition team for several years, representing clients on a wide range of matters including UK and EU merger control, competition litigation, cartel investigations, competition law compliance advice, and broader regulatory matters.

Before re-joining the firm as senior knowledge lawyer, Greg spent six years as in-house competition counsel in a multinational universal bank. There he principally advised the corporate and investment banking divisions and internal service company, dealing with internal and external investigations and market studies, devising and leading internal training programs, and supporting on transactions including acquisitions, disposals, strategic investments and joint ventures.

In his role as senior knowledge lawyer, Greg is responsible for ensuring the competition team is up to date with the latest legal developments, organising and developing the internal training programme, and managing its knowledge resources. Greg also writes and edits articles, practice notes and client alerts, including for leading external publications and journals.

Greg is responsible for the team’s contributions to the UK sections of Mergerfilers, for whom Macfarlanes is the UK National Expert.

Contributed to

5

Assessing IP-related agreements outside the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation

Practice Notes

This Practice Note provides an overview of how to assess IP-related agreements outside the Technology Transfer Block Exemption (TTBE) Regulation. It summarises briefly other block exemption regulations that may apply and describes IP-related issues when assessing agreements individually under Article 101(1) TFEU.

Competition

Assessing IP-related agreements under the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation

Practice Notes

This Practice Note provides an overview of how to assess IP-related agreements under the Technology Transfer Block Exemption (TTBE) Regulation. It explains the TTBE’s scope, the individual steps in its application and points out how to proceed if the TTBE were not to apply.

Competition

Competition law and settlement agreements

Practice Notes

This Practice Note explores the common pitfalls, restrictions in settlement agreements which risk falling foul of Article 101. Article 101, TFEU may come into play where parties are seeking to settle IP disputes. This Practice Note focuses on the hot topic of ‘pay for delay’ deals and situations where they are a problem. The approach to pay for delay deals in the pharmaceutical sector is explored.

Competition

EU Competition law and intellectual property: key themes

Practice Notes

Controversial issues can arise where competition law is applied to business activities relating to intellectual property rights (IPRs). This Practice Note charts some of the emerging themes in relation to the interaction between competition law and IPRs. This Practice Note also outlines potential competition issues relating to business practices such as standard setting and patent pools, ‘pay for delay’ deals and licensing of IPRs.

Competition

IP Rights and abuse of dominance

Practice Notes

The exercise of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) by dominant companies can cause competition problems under Article 102, TFEU (and Member State equivalents). The dividing line between anti-competitive exclusionary conduct and ‘normal’ reliance on IPRs is explored in relation to broad categories of potential abuses. The difficulties of market definition in relation to IPRs is also assessed. Patent disputes between telecoms companies and the AstraZeneca case are detailed in the context of abuse of FRAND licensing commitments and the system of patent grant. There is also a discussion on the Microsoft case and refusal to license ‘essential facility’ IPRs and unfair licensing terms and tying.

Competition