All acts that could be considered as conflicting with honest business practices are considered unfair competition.

The following are considered acts of unfair competition:

Acts misleading consumers as to the nature, quality or characteristics of a product.
Acts which may confuse the consumer as to the commercial source and origin of the products.
Discrediting competitors,their goods or establishment.
Breaching trade secrets.

Importance of Unfair Competition [concept, notion?] to IP:

Unfair Competition principles represent a general legal ambit under which all IP can be protected, subject to certain circumstances, when all respective laws fall short of providing such protection, for example:

-Providing legal protection for unregistered trademarks, where the trademark legislation necessitates registration to grant protection.
-Providing protection to some IP rights even after the elapse of their protection period under their respective law, to protect consumers from confusion.
-Providing protection to some rights that are not covered by any form of law, such as slogans, mottos, and trade dress.