On February 3, 2021, ACT | The App Association and a number of other organizations sent a letter to House and Senate Committees regarding abuse of standard-essential patents and potential Congressional Action. To read the full text of the letter, click here.
On January 13, 2021, ACT | The App Association and other organizations sent a memo of recommendations to the Biden-Harris Administration regarding possible policy priorities and actions the new administration can take to curb abuse of standard-essential patent licensing. To read the full memo, click here.
(WASHINGTON, DC) December 19, 2019– Today, ACT | The App Association released a statement from president Morgan Reed regarding a new policy statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding remedies for standard-essential patents (SEPs) subject [...]
Berlin, October 1st 2019 – Companies at the forefront of the Internet of Things (IoT) met with policymakers, academics and patent lawyers in Berlin on Monday to support much needed reforms to the rules governing the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs), underway in Germany at the moment. The half-day workshop entitled: [...]
Published: June 5, 2018 The Japan Patent Office's (JPO) “Guide to Licensing Negotiations involving Standard Essential Patents” aims to "enhance transparency and predictability, facilitate negotiations between rights holders and implementers, and help prevent or quickly resolve disputes concerning the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) which are essential in implementing [...]
On November 29, 2017, the European Commission (EC) released a Communication titled Setting out the EU approach to Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). In this Communication, the EC set out to address three key concerns: The prevalence of opaque information on SEP exposure; Unclear valuation of patented technologies included in standards [...]
Published: October 11, 2017 On October 11, 2017, the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) announced an enforcement action against Qualcomm, Inc. for competition law violations regarding Qualcomm’s behavior in the context of licensing for standards-essential patents. The TFTC’s enforcement action also levied a fine of T$23.4 billion (US$774.14 million) against [...]
Published: 1/17/17On January 17, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against Qualcomm Inc. for allegedly engaging in monopolistic tactics concerning its baseband processors—semiconductor devises that enable cellular communications in cell phones and other products. The FTC alleges that Qualcomm used its dominant position as a supplier of [...]
Published: 6/2/16 Because of the interconnectedness of our economy and technology development, the collective decisions by policymakers, courts, and regulators around the world create the conditions that weave the fabric of innovation. ACT | The App Association therefore urges that the planned Green Paper clearly establish the U.S. government’s role [...]
Published: 3/31/16In its revised intellectual property enforcement guidelines, the Canadian Competition Bureau recognizes patent hold up as a competition concern. Specifically, it notes that high switching costs may create market power for the owners of patents that cover a standard due to the inability of firms using the standard to [...]