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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Last week, a major milestone was reached by the Sisvel DVB-T2 pool, which covers the broadcast technology of choice across large parts of the globe. Following the latest renewal cycle, the programme now has all major implementers of the standard under licence. "Since the pool contains all the declared SEPs in the space, we have essentially achieved full coverage of both licensors and licensees in this market," programme manager Patrizia La Rosa announced in a Sisvel Insights article.  The piece also explained how the licensing team managed to do it, including a pivotal strategic rethink following early pushback. Crucially, the pool’s licensors accepted reduced royalties for certain products and financial incentives for compliant licensees. Lower royalties on more deals plus speedy technology adoption made business sense. The market spoke. Sisvel and its licensors listened. This is why Patent Pools Rock! 

Elsewhere, analysis of announced royalty earnings from four major SEP licensors – Nokia, InterDigital, Qualcomm and Ericsson – showed that each enjoyed healthy returns in 2024. Meanwhile, on the legal front there was news of an important SEP win for Philips in India, while arguments in the closely watched UK dispute between Ericsson and Lenovo were heard by the appeals court in London.       

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.  

Market  

The Sisvel DVB-T2 pool completed its renewal cycle, licensing all major implementers to all patents essential to the broadcasting standard. Sisvel | Sisvel’s one-stop shop DVB-T2 pool secures a clean sweep, fully licensing the market    

Nokia and InterDigital made impressive gains from their licensing activities during 2024, while Ericsson and Qualcomm also enjoyed solid growth. Eric Stasik  | LinkedIn 

Via LA will partner with ULDAGE, a Tokyo-based patent pool administrator, to expand its EV charging programme in Japan. Press Release - Via LA 

Legal 

Philips has become the latest SEP holder to win a FRAND-related case at the Delhi High Court. Rajesh Kumar | LinkedIn 

Arguments were heard in the UK Court of Appeal over Lenovo’s bid for a short-term or interim licence to Ericsson patents. Ericsson warns of ‘disastrous consequences’ if Lenovo gets its way in UK | MLex 🔒 

Sol IP, a licensor in Avanci’s 4G and 5G Vehicle programmes, sued BYD over LTE SEPs in Germany. Avanci licensor Sol IP sues Chinese automaker BYD in Munich over 4G SEPs – ip fray 

UPC and German lawsuits filed by Nokia revealed a FRAND dispute in China with POS maker SUNMI. Nokia obtains anti-antisuit injunctions in fresh lawsuits against Chinese payment terminal maker SUNMI in UPC, Munich, Mannheim – ip fray 

The Munich Higher Regional Court has postponed its decision in VoiceAge v. HMD, a closely watched FRAND case. Munich appeals court postpones key FRAND ruling in VoiceAge EVS v. HMD case with European Commission intervention – ip fray 

Policy & Opinion 

John Squires, the former Goldman Sachs chief IP counsel and a co-creator of Fortress Investment Group’s patent fund, is the front-runner to be the next USPTO director. Ex-Goldman Atty Squires Expected To Be Named USPTO Head - Law360 🔒 

The US Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce. Patent-holder Lutnick confirmed as Commerce Secretary, will oversee USPTO | MLex 🔒 

Martin Chatel was named ETSI’s Chief Policy Officer, to be based in Brussels. Press Release - ETSI 

Strategy & Analysis 

Nokia’s HEVC portfolio could warrant a 17% to 56% premium to patent pool rates, analysis of data on patent quality and competitive suggests. Lessons about patent royalty rate reasonableness from the Nokia-Amazon battle - IAM 🔒 

The European Commission was right to withdraw the SEP regulation because far from helping SMEs it was tailor made to suit the needs of big technology companies. Anatomy of a Car Crash: The European Commission's Decision to Withdraw its Big Tech Friendly Proposed SEP Regulation by Damien Geradin :: SSRN  

It is important to analyse what went wrong with the proposed EU SEP regulation to ensure any new policy initiatives in this area do not meet the same fate. Lessons Learned from DG GROW's Attempts at Regulating SEP Licensing | LinkedIn 

Transparency is a pre-requisite of equitable patent pool licensing. “No shortcuts”: transparency and balancing needs critical for effective pool licensing - IAM