JFTC to Host Digital Economy and Competition Policy Symposium

Following on from Sunday's post, the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the Competition Policy Research Center are hosting an event titled "Osaka International Symposium: Digital Economy and Competition Policy–IoT, Data, Platforms and Laws" on Friday, March 30, 2018.  (Hat tip to Professor Jorge Contreras for alerting me to this.)  Here is a link, and here is the symposium description:

While innovation is being created one after another through utilization of big data, development and diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT, there is concern that parties with a dominant position, such as having the fundamental technology for doing business, distort competition or impose unfair business conditions. In particular, behaviors of giant platformers, standard essential patents owners and “patent trolls” are attracting a lot of attention.
In this symposium, we discuss, in the course of the progress of digital economy, in what kind of competitive environment companies are placed, and what is the role of the competition law and competition policy, taking into consideration domestic and overseas movements.
1. Date: 30 March, 2018 (Fri) 13:00－17:30
2. Osaka Bar Association Building 2nd Floor Hall (http://www.osakaben.or.jp/11-english/index.php)
3. Agenda
Chair: Director Yosuke Okada, Professor, Hitotsubashi University/Director of CPRC
(1) Opening remarks (13:00 – 13:10)
Mr Masatoshi Ohara, President of Osaka Bar Association (OBA)
(2) Session I: IPRs and Competition Laws in the IoT/AI Era (13:10-14:15)
Session Chair: Fumio Sensui, Professor, Kobe University
Speaker: Jorge L. Contreras, Professor, the University of Utah
Commentators: Kazonori Shibata, KYOCERA Corporation
Noboru Kawahama, Professor, Kyoto University
Liyang Hou, Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
(3) Session II: Data, Platforms and Laws- State of Play and the Way ahead (14:30-17:20)
Session Chair: Prof Thomas K. Cheng, Hong Kong Competition Commission Commissioner /
Associate Professor, University of Hong Kong
Reports from Public Antitrust Enforcers' and Advisors' View - Japan, Germany and the EU -
Speakers: Reiko Aoki, Commissioner, JFTC
Thomas Weck, Monopolies Commission, Germany
Simon Vande Walle, European Commission (DG Competition)
<Comments and Panel Discussion (15:50-17:20)>
Comments from: Noriko Fukuoka, Panasonic IP Management Co., Ltd
Takayuki Hamanaka, Attorney, Habataki Law Office/OBA
(4) Closing remarks (17:20-17:30)
Akira Negishi, Professor, Kobe University
[Host]: Competition Policy Research Center, Japan Fair Trade Commission
[Co-sponsor]: Osaka Bar Association, Kansai Economic Federation, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association Kansai Branch, Kobe University*
[Note]: This symposium was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Scientific Research (A)"Rebuilding of a new competition policy for innovation and platform business"
[Application]: Please send your name and organization to CPRC address (cprcsec@jftc.go.jp) by e-mail.
[Fee]: Free
[Language]: Japanese-English Simultaneous interpretation