[3] Founded in 1952 and owned by the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), since 1967 the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition has assumed the scientific direction of the journal.

Originally published in the German language, GRUR International made the transition to English in 2020.

[3] The journal covers worldwide developments in intellectual property and competition law.

In addition to scientific articles, the journal also publishes decisions and leading cases from jurisdictions around the world, as well as editorials, opinions, reports, case notes, official statements and book reviews.

The editors-in-chief are Reto M. Hilty and Josef Drexl (Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition).