Why Sisvel patent pools rock
Sisvel operates patent pools across areas including multimedia, broadcast, Wi-Fi, cellular and IoT. Since we opened for business in 1982, we have returned billions of euros in royalties to our licensors, while enabling technology implementers to quickly and efficiently deliver world class, innovative products to the market. This is why our programmes rock.
Recently, we published a three-part series explaining in detail the benefits our pools deliver for technology users, patent owners and the wider innovation ecosystem. We have distilled all of these points into three one-page crib sheets which are reproduced below.
1. Sisvel patent pools benefit technology implementers
Simple and efficient.
Licensing multiple portfolios for a single rate through a single negotiation with Sisvel saves significant management time for licensees
Pool licensees make a single report and a single payment, letting Sisvel shoulder the administrative burden of dealing with multiple patent owners
With more companies participating in standards-setting, Sisvel pool deals help licensees address the 'long tail' of patent owners
Balanced rates.
A Sisvel pool licence generally costs less than the sum of bilateral deals with participating patent owners
Sisvel is incentivised to foster realistic royalty expectations and set balanced rates
Sisvel pools with participation from major licensor-licensees have inherently balanced views of the market
Sisvel takes a big-picture view of the royalty stack rather than privileging the importance of one portfolio over another
Standardised terms.
Sisvel has little room to offer differentiated terms to similarly situated licensees
Start-ups, SMEs and new entrants can access standardised Sisvel pool terms at parity with similarly situated companies, creating a level playing field
Sisvel pool rates tend to stay constant even as membership in a pool grows
Transparent and predictable.
Sisvel’s transparent rates provide businesses with visibility on the costs of adopting a technology
Sisvel’s public pool terms serve as a benchmark, providing clarity and predictability to all licensees – including those that choose to license bilaterally
2. Sisvel patent pools benefit patent owners
Cost-efficient dealmaking.
Aggregation reduces transaction costs, eliminating many duplicative negotiations and agreements
Sisvel pools essentially offer an outsourced licensing team, freeing up in-house personnel for other strategic initiatives
SMEs, universities and research institutions that lack in-house licensing resources benefit especially from outsourced Sisvel pool licensing
A more attractive product.
Sisvel pools representing a large share of SEPs offer significantly more risk clearance and peace of mind than bilateral deals can provide
Sisvel pools can play a key role in promoting the covered technology by increasing certainty about adoption costs
Participation in a Sisvel pool provides external validation of a patent owner's IP as essential to a given standard
Institutional knowledge and expert administration.
Sisvel pools are managed by teams with extensive expertise and solid relationships with companies in key technology markets
Sisvel pool managers specialise in the relevant technology or vertical
Sisvel boasts a dedicated technical team, strong legal and administrative capabilities, and presence on the ground in Europe, Asia and North America
Stable, downside-protected returns.
Sisvel pools offer stable recurring royalties, with less scope for re-negotiation compared to bilateral deals
Sisvel shoulders upfront costs and gets paid based on dealmaking, so patent owner exposure is all upside
Participation in a Sisvel pool does not foreclose possibilities for bilateral licensing – it's just another option
3. Sisvel patent pools power the innovation economy
Sisvel patent pools fuel the inventive loop – everyone benefits when returns accrue to innovators and fund further R&D
Consumers benefit from Sisvel patent pools because they enable technology implementers to bring innovative new products to market more quickly with lower transaction costs and less legal risk
Sisvel patent pools enable SMEs and new market entrants that own patents but have few internal licensing resources to earn royalties
Sisvel patent pools create a level playing field that lets SMEs and new market entrants that implement technologies access standardised deal terms at parity with similarly situated companies
Sisvel patent pools play a key role in enabling universities and public-sector research institutes to commercialise their technology contributions
Sisvel patent pools are pro-competitive and operate within well-defined safeguards to ensure compliance with antitrust laws
All market players benefit from the transparency Sisvel patent pools bring to the SEP landscape
Sisvel patent pools are about dealmaking, not litigation, and frequently serve as an off-ramp for ending bilateral disputes between patent owners and implementers
Sisvel pool licensing is always optional and provides an additional route to a voluntary licence agreement, benefiting all market participants with greater choice
