France (on behalf of the European Communities and its 27 member states) asserted that competition policy and its relationship to IPRs was both “important and delicate”, therefore they were of the view that it was appropriate for the Committee to “clarify the matter fully and to define what the problem consists of” and to adopt a “nuanced approach so that problems that do arise can be discussed to ensure that the cart is not put in front of the horse”.

So let's wonder what the cart is and what the horse is. We observe a tendency to mistake the IPR system for the horse.