Published: 10/31/16Publication: Lexology"In TCL v. Ericsson (C.D. Cal.), the court established a framework for determining whether patent owner Ericsson adhered to its FRAND obligations for licensing standard-essential patents for telecommunications standards and what the FRAND terms would be. According to this framework, the jury will first decide whether Ericsson complied [...]

Published: 10/28/16Publication: IAM"The continued issuance of high quality patents is the key to preventing the widespread activities of troll-like patent assertion entities in Europe, a new report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has concluded. Based on work undertaken by a team led by the centre’s senior fellow Nikolaus Thumm, a former [...]

Published: 10/17/16Publication: IAM"Qualcomm on Saturday announced that it has expanded its assertion campaign against Meizu, the largest Chinese smartphone maker yet to conclude a licence agreement with the US chipmaker since its 2015 settlement with Chinese regulators. The move should definitively put to rest rumours that had swirled in Chinese-language media suggesting [...]

Published: 10/14/16Publication: National Law Review"For the first time in 26 years, the FTC and DOJ (the “Agencies”) have issued proposed updates to the Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property, last revised in 1995. The intervening quarter century brought stunning technological advancement, during which time Agencies, courts, and legislators [...]

Published: 9/27/16Publication: Managing Intellectual PropertyFor years, the courts have been preoccupied with infringement proceedings that are conducted by standard essential patents (SEP) holders, who previously submitted declarations as part of the standardization process, namely assurances that prospective licensees will be granted licenses under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) conditions. The [...]

Published: 9/16/16Publication: Lexology"Earlier this year, the Canadian Competition Bureau updated its Intellectual Property Enforcement Guidelines. The Guidelines supersede earlier guidance published in 2014, and serve to clarify the circumstances in which the Bureau can be expected to exercise its enforcement powers in relation to behaviour by intellectual property owners. One topic [...]

Published: 9/15/16Publication: Total Telecom"A new wireless patent-licensing platform backed by KPN, Ericsson, Qualcomm, ZTE, and InterDigital launched this week, pledging to make it much easier for IoT companies to embed cellular technology into their connected devices. Called Avanci, it enables device makers to pay a flat rate to access – [...]

Published: 9/14/16Publication: Wall Street Journal"Five big holders of cellular patents, including Qualcomm Inc., are joining an effort proposed by Ericsson AB to jointly license patents in an emerging field called the Internet of Things. The patent holders announced Wednesday that they have become the initial patent contributors to Avanci, a company recently established to serve as a [...]

Published: 8/31/16Publication: Lexology"On August 12, 2016, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission released a proposed update of their Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property. While the agencies reinforced many of the existing propositions established in the original 1995 guidelines, there are several notable changes. First, the updated [...]

Published: 8/24/16Publication: Knowledge & News Network"Highlighting the need for indigenous innovation in the mobile manufacturing sector in India, Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary DIPP remarked that the DIPP consultation paper on Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) has stimulated debate on various important issues in India." - [READ MORE] Read More