We study the complexity of Maximum Clique in intersection graphs of convex objects in the plane. On the algorithmic side, we extend the polynomial-time algorithm for unit disks [Clark 90, Raghavan and Spinrad 03] to translates of any fixed convex set. We also generalize the efficient polynomial-time approximation scheme (EPTAS) and subexponential algorithm for disks [Bonnet et al. 18, Bonamy et al. 18] to homothets of a fixed centrally symmetric convex set. The main open question on that topic is the complexity of Maximum Clique in disk graphs. It is not known whether this problem is NP-hard. We observe that, so far, all the hardness proofs for Maximum Clique in intersection graph classes $mathcal I$ follow the same road. They show that, for every graph $G$ of a large-enough class $mathcal C$, the complement of an even subdivision of $G$ belongs to the intersection class $mathcal I$. Then they conclude invoking the hardness of Maximum Independent Set on the class $mathcal C$, and the fact that the even subdivision preserves that hardness. However there is a strong evidence that this approach cannot work for disk graphs [Bonnet et al. 18]. We suggest a new approach, based on a problem that we dub Max Interval Permutation Avoidance, which we prove unlikely to have a subexponential-time approximation scheme. We transfer that hardness to Maximum Clique in intersection graphs of objects which can be either half-planes (or unit disks) or axis-parallel rectangles. That problem is not amenable to the previous approach. We hope that a scaled down (merely NP-hard) variant of Max Interval Permutation Avoidance could help making progress on the disk case, for instance by showing the NP-hardness for (convex) pseudo-disks.
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