Brussels’ Big Tech love affair; major Huawei-Qualcomm deal; Squires considers PTAB shift; understanding the Sisvel difference; 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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There has always been a suspicion within the European technology policy community that deep-pocketed US Big Tech has fast-track access to decision makers at the European Commission and in the European Parliament. Last week, research published by the Financial Times revealed data points supporting that belief.

Silicon Valley’s giants “have an outsized influence in Brussels, spending more money and meeting more often with EU policymakers than European companies”, the FT reported. What’s more, the research does not seem to cover lobbying groups that receive funding from American tech behemoths, so the level of influence could well be higher.

While much of the conversation no doubt centres on the EU’s controversial digital market rules and competition policy, it is not possible to know exactly what is discussed in every closed-door meeting. But given the Big Tech-friendly patent positions that are regularly adopted by the Commission and MEPs, it’s hard to believe that IP never comes up.

Elsewhere, Huawei and Qualcomm announced a wide-ranging patent licensing and sale agreement; and USPTO Director John Squires told a Senate committee that another change to the agency’s PTAB regime may be in the offing. In an interview with IAM, meanwhile, Sisvel CIPO Heath Hoglund outlined the busy year he has had since joining us and explained exactly what it is that sets Sisvel apart.

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

Huawei and Qualcomm announced a multi-year patent licence agreement spanning 5G, compute, AI, and networking. Read more (press release)

True independence is what sets Sisvel apart from other administrators, CIPO Heath Hoglund has told IAM. Read more (IAM)🔒

Volvo Cars has been revealed as the latest automaker licensed under the Avanci Wi-Fi 6 Vehicle programme. Read more (ip fray)

Legal

PulseLink Systems has brought a US patent infringement suit against NVIDIA in Texas in a dispute over data centre networking technologies. Read more (ip fray)🔒

A Delaware federal district judge has denied an InterDigital motion to dismiss Disney’s challenge to its video patent licensing practices but has granted a request for a stay. Read more (MLex) 🔒

The EPO has published a first set of implementing decisions for the fully digital and paperless patent granting process due to come into force on 1 April 2027. Read more (EPO News)

Policy & Opinion

US Big Tech companies have an outsized lobbying influence on EU policymakers and MEPs, according to research conducted by the Financial Times. Read more (Financial Times) 🔒

USPTO Director John Squires says that the agency may retain authority over discretionary denials while returning merits determinations to administrative patent judges. Read more (IAM). 🔒 See also MLex 🔒

PMAC has called for industry input as it drafts FRAND licensing guidelines. Read more (MLex) 🔒

CEN and CENELEC have cautioned against the European Commission taking a more active role in standards oversight. Read more (MLex) 🔒

China’s role in the global SEP landscape is evolving rapidly and its influence is likely to grow significantly in the years ahead. Read more (ip fray)

Strategy & Analysis

The publication of FRAND guidelines by a key Munich court chamber is a welcome step, but the guidance may ultimately prove too exact to provide litigants with certainty. Read more (Wolters Kluwer)

Some of the advantages of UK FRAND litigation have disappeared of late, but don’t write it off just yet. Read more (IAM) 🔒

SEP licensing deals in the video space are catching up with an economic shift that has been years in the making: the increasing value of services. Read more (IAM) 🔒

The European Innovation Act, proposed early last month, requires further clarification with regard to SEPs, essentiality, FRAND commitments and pool participation. Read more (Wolters Kluwer)

Dolby and MediaTek have emerged as major buyers in the market for video codec patents. Read more (ip fray)