The lawfulness of such agreements will in many cases be analyzed under the Rule of Reason, which balances
the pro-competitive effects of the agreement, if any, against the anti-competitive consequences.
In a decision with far - reaching implications for patent misuse doctrine generally, the court (1) affirmed that patent misuse is applicable only to specific anticompetitive patentee conduct; and (2) recognized that an
agreement between partners to a joint venture not to compete with the venture can have legitimate and
pro-competitive purposes, and therefore can be condemned only on proof
of anticompetitive
effects under the rule
of reason.