Published: August 7, 2017
Publication: Financial Times
“Sir, Ed Crooks’ Big Read article “Industrial futures” (June 28) and the subsequent letters from IP Europe (June 30 and August 1) and ACT — The App Association (July 30) underline the extent of the divisions in Europe on just how best the EU can position itself to reap the economic benefits of the internet of things.
At the heart of making the internet of things a reality for millions of consumers worldwide, including across Europe, is the question of just how companies — both large and small — have access to standard essential patents (SEPs) on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. These are the thousands of patented inventions that are needed across all internet of things devices to ensure their interoperability; or, put more simply, that the devices speak to one another.”