InterDigital inks Oppo deal; Closely watched German SEP hearing held; UK judge slams FRAND ‘dysfunction’; Ericsson’s approach to C-IoT licensing revealed; plus much more
Welcome to the latest edition of the Sisvel Insights weekly round-up, aggregating news stories, analyses and data points affecting the SEP world that have caught our eye over the past seven days
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October closed with a flurry of settlements and deals in the SEP market. InterDigital and Oppo called time on their patent dispute with a deal covering OPPO, realme and OnePlus branded mobile devices on a worldwide basis. This means that the US research and licensing business now has the world’s four largest mobile device vendors under licence. Later in the week, InterDigital announced its quarterly results, which included a $145 million boost to full-year revenue guidance.
Elsewhere, an appeal was heard in the German SEP case which has seen a rare intervention by the European Commission; and in the UK, a prominent judge described the current FRAND litigation environment “essentially dysfunctional”.
Meanwhile, an exclusive interview with senior Ericsson licensing director Thomas Choi headlined the first edition of Sisvel SEP Insider, our newly launched monthly newsletter. The interview touched on why the IoT requires novel licensing strategies, what the Swedish company looks for in a patent pool and how it balances joint and bilateral dealmaking.
Please note that inclusion of a piece in the list below does not signify agreement with what is stated in the linked article, just that we believe it is of interest and worth pointing out.
Legal
The Munich Higher Regional Court held a hearing in the VoiceAge EVS v. HMD case, which is the subject of a European Commission amicus intervention. Munich appeals court rejects German approach to standard-essential patents, tends to pave way for next ECJ ruling on FRAND – ip fray
A UPC hearing was held in the Huawei v. Netgear Wi-Fi SEP dispute. Netgear raised a number of defences, including one related to the IEEE’s 2015 IPR policy. IEEE patent policy mess reaches Unified Patent Court: Netgear’s Hail Mary against Huawei – ip fray
ZTE responded to Lenovo’s filing of a UK FRAND case, saying in a Chinese-language statement that it “deeply regrets” the action and that the companies have spent “several years” in negotiations. Michael Ma | LinkedIn post
Market
InterDigital and Oppo announced a licence agreement covering OPPO, realme and OnePlus branded mobile devices worldwide. InterDigital - License Announcement
Announcing its Q3 financial results a few days later, InterDigital raised its full-year revenue guidance midpoint by $145 million to $860 million. InterDigital - Q3 Results
According to the website of Access Advance, HP and TCL are now licensees under its HEVC pool. This resolves a number of lawsuits, including the case in which a Chinese court was set to rule on a pool rate. ip fray | LinkedIn post
Nokia and HP agreed to a licence covering the use of Nokia’s video technologies in HP’s devices, resolving litigation between the pair. Nokia signs patent license agreement with HP | Nokia
Nokia of America settled SEP infringement claims brought by Wireless Alliance LLC against telecoms carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Nokia Strikes Deal Ahead Of Trial In Texas Patent Co.'s Suit - Law360 🔒
ADS-TEC became the fourth announced licensee under the Avanci EV Charger programme. Avanci EV Charger welcomes ADS-TEC Energy as a licensee - Avanci
Policy & Opinion
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan DC think tank, put out a report urging stronger US patent enforcement in light of developments in Europe and China. CSIS Report Offers Roadmap for New Administration to Ensure U.S. Economic Security and Technology Leadership
Delivering a lecture in a personal capacity, Justice James Mellor of the England and Wales High Court labelled the SEP licensing market “dysfunctional” and claimed that German courts “facilitate the extraction of supra-FRAND rates”. UK judge urges overhaul of ‘essentially dysfunctional’ FRAND market | Managing Intellectual Property 🔒
Closing Europe’s innovation gap requires a focus on advanced connectivity and a strong IP rights framework, Ericsson CIPO Christina Petersson has said. How do we close Europe’s innovation gap? Start with advanced connectivity and a strong intellectual property rights framework – POLITICO
Trump Administration USPTO director Andrei Iancu made the case that the former president and JD Vance are best positioned to deliver pro-innovation policies that benefit entrepreneurs and small businesses. Trump and Vance will make America competitive again, former patent office director says | Fortune
Strategy & Analysis
Senior licensing director Thomas Choi discusses Ericsson’s approach to cellular IoT licensing in an exclusive Sisvel interview. Exclusive interview: Ericsson on C-IoT | Sisvel SEP Insider
IAM examined the docket of a Western District of Texas judge who is attracting a growing number of patent suits. Meet David Counts, WDTX’s new most popular patent judge - IAM 🔒
The Federal Circuit’s anti-suit ruling in Ericsson v. Lenovo has reignited issues of sovereignty and comity in SEP cases. Ericsson v Lenovo FRAND ruling increases ‘sovereign conflict’ | Managing Intellectual Property 🔒
The Beijing IP Court released a casebook with 20 guiding principles applied in Chinese patent validity cases. Beijing Intellectual Property Court Releases "Analysis of Patent Granting and Confirmation Cases 2014-2024" With 58 Typical Cases - China IP Law Update
