Article 25
Principles for access rights in indirect actions 1. Access rights in accordance with Articles 26 and 27 shall be granted on written request. The granting of access rights may be made conditional on the conclusion of specific agreements, aimed at ensuring that they are used only for the intended purpose, and the giving of appropriate undertakings as to confidentiality. Participants may also conclude agreements with the purpose, in particular, of granting additional or more favourable access rights, including access rights to third parties, in particular to enterprises associated with participants, or specifying the requirements applicable to access rights, but not restricting the latter. Such agreements shall comply with the applicable competition rules. The Commission may object to any grant of access rights to third parties, in particular to those not established in a Member State or an Associated State, if such a grant is not in accordance with the interests of developing the competitiveness of the dynamic, knowledge-based European economy, or is inconsistent with ethical principles. 2. Access rights to pre-existing know-how shall be granted provided that the participant concerned is free to grant them. 3. A participant may explicitly exclude specific pre-existing know-how from the obligation to grant access rights by means of a written agreement between the participants, before the participant concerned signs the contract or before a new participant joins the indirect action. The other participants may only withhold their agreement if they demonstrate that implementation of the indirect action or their legitimate interests will be significantly impaired thereby. 4. Except where the participant granting access rights so agrees, such rights shall confer no entitlement to grant sub-licences.