Call for Papers – Advanced Studies on the Standardization, competition and innovation in the Digital Single Market Strategy

European University of Rome
Jean Monnet Chair in EU Innovation Policy

“Advanced Studies on the Standardization, competition and
innovation in the Digital Single Market Strategy”

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Jean Monnet Chair in EU Innovation Policy at the European University of Rome will hold a Series of 6 Friday Seminars –between March and May 2020 – and a Workshop on 3 April 2020 in Rome, on the following topic:

Competition, cooperation, and standardisation in
the Digital Single Market strategy

The digital market is a complex, networked multi-layered ecosystem, whose backbones are composed of very high capacity wired and wireless communications networks connecting people and/or objects. Services delivered using these networks are changing over time, progressively increasing in scale and scope, and rapidly embracing all markets and social environments. Moreover, over the top (OTT) of the physical networks and related services, other services and contents are provided and other networks – made of economic, social and operational interactions – are created.

The digital ecosystem is therefore populated and influenced by a wide range of diverse market actors, e.g., communications and audio-visual network operators and service providers, ICT innovators and vendors, content providers, and finally OTTs and online platforms having a broad scope of activities.

In this context, the European Commission aims to shape the EU Digital Single Market (DSM) by inter alia ensuring:

a) generalised connectivity and investment incentives for very high-capacity and 5G networks, by combining infrastructure-based competition with co-investments, and spectrum and infrastructure sharing;

b) a sustainable and efficient standardisation process and a balanced patent licensing environment, by way of Standard Developing Organisations and Standard Essential Patents, which are essential to boost innovation and make the complex digital ecosystem works;

c) a fair competition and level playing field among traditional networks and service providers and OTTs, avoiding at the same time the risk of inhibiting new business models and innovative services;

d) modernised on-line copyright rules which can address emerging issues related to the new models for content distribution.

Therefore, both competition and cooperation are complementary tools to govern complexity and to boost innovation within the digital single market. However, it is often controversial what is the more efficient combination of competition and cooperation and what are the most effective conditions to maximise incentives for innovation, boost innovative investments, minimise the risk of opportunistic behaviours, and create sufficient competition safeguards in order to avoid anticompetitive illicit behaviours.

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

The objective of the Series of Seminars and Workshop is to explore those issues concerning the “Competition, Cooperation, and Standardisation in the Digital Single Market Strategy” with an interdisciplinary approach.

To this aim, law and economics scholars, phd candidates, researchers, as well as industry experts are invited to submit DRAFT PAPERS or EXTENDED ABSTRACTS no later than 21 February 2020. Authors will be informed by 28 February 2020, at the latest, whether they have been selected for the “Seminars and Workshop Series”. Each paper will be evaluated by two independent reviewers.

Authors of selected papers shall finally submit by 27 March 2020 the final version of their contribution, that will be published on the conference website and on the Proceedings.

Please send your submissions to Prof. Valeria Falce (Valeria.Falce@unier.it) and Dott. Andrea Colaruotolo (Andrea.colaruotolo@gmail.com). You will receive a confirmation of receipt within a few days from submission.