Landmark Samsung Wi-Fi agreement; Ericsson boosts licensing run rate; concerns over proposed Delhi High Court overhaul; Panasonic injunction in Brazil survives challenge; plus much more
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 brought a major milestone for the Sisvel Wi-Fi Multimode pool, with Samsung agreeing to take a licence and to join the programme as a licensor. This resounding double validation of the pool comes just six months after its official launch in January.
Samsung is the latest in a procession of big-name players – ASUS, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Microsoft – that have become Wi-Fi Multimode licensees in recent months. The company is also an undisputed global R&D champion and its addition as the programme’s eleventh licensor makes the pool licence offer even more compelling going forward.
The announced deal “strengthens the pool’s standing as a default clearing option for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 disputes”, ip fray reported; while IAM observed that it “represents a significant endorsement”.
Elsewhere, Ericsson issued its latest quarterly earnings report, revealing annualised licensing revenue of nearly $1.4 billion. This record figure follows recent deals with smartphone maker Transsion and POS giant Verifone. There was also news of a potential jurisdictional overhaul at the Delhi High Court, including changes that could see many complex patent disputes relegated to lower district courts at first instance. And in Brazil, Panasonic’s injunction against HMD was upheld, as an appeals court rejected the latter’s demand for a bilateral offer in addition to a pool one.
Please note that the 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 flagging.
Market
Samsung Electronics has become a licensee and licensor of the Sisvel Wi-Fi Multimode pool in a major validation of the programme’s offering. Read more (Sisvel newsroom). See also IAM🔒 and ip fray
Following fresh deals with Transsion and Verifone, Ericsson has set a new record for its annualised recurring patent licensing revenue. Read more (IAM) 🔒
Legal
Panasonic’s Brazilian injunction against HMD has been upheld as an appeals court dismissed the implementer’s demand for a bilateral licence offer. Read more (ip fray)🔒
The Hague local division of the UPC has decided to allow a FRAND counterclaim against patent pool operator Vectis in a dispute between Dolby and Acer. Read more (ip fray) 🔒
Snap has brought a UK Patents Court claim against Dolby and Access Advance, opening a new front in the parties’ dispute over HEVC technology. Read more (ip fray)
Policy & Opinion
A proposed jurisdictional overhaul of the Delhi High Court would redirect many intellectual property disputes to India’s district courts, raising concerns over specialisation and predictability. Read more (MLex) 🔒
The UPC Administrative Committee has rejected calls to establish a case assignment mechanism that could route more lawsuits to non-German divisions. Read more (JUVE)
The most important issue in FRAND valuation remains underexplored: the need to distinguish between fundamentally different categories of licensing and commercial arrangements. Read more (IP Finance)
Strategy & Analysis
The recent Ericsson v Transsion ruling shows that the Casablanca Commercial Court can deliver timely decisions on the merits and remedies that move the needle in global SEP disputes. Read more (BRELA LinkedIn)
Meta’s decision to join the Access Advance Video Distribution Pool has further discredited the ‘royalty-free’ claims surrounding AV1. Read more (MLex)🔒
Uncertainties remain over the arbitration ‘safe harbour’ established in the UK Court of Appeal’s recent Acer v Nokia decision. Read more (IAM)🔒
