Ericsson and Transsion settle; Nokia Tech head on licensing priorities; baseball’s FRAND ADR lessons; MEP seeks Big Tech video alliance scrutiny; 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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One of the FRAND world’s most fascinating and closely watched disputes came to an end last week when it was announced that Ericsson and Transsion had settled litigation which encompassed multiple jurisdictions across three continents. Details were not announced, but in a press release the Swedish company stated that “financial benefit for Ericsson from the settlement is expected to be reflected beginning in Q3 2026”.

One of the things that made the dispute so notable were the jurisdictions in which litigation had been filed – many of them not the usual venues when disagreements end up before the courts. Indeed, news of the settlement came just a few days after a Moroccan court became the first in Africa to award an SEP injunction when it opened the way to a sales ban on Transsion-branded 4G and 5G smartphones in the country. It took Ericsson just six months to obtain the award; other SEP holders will take note of that.

Elsewhere, Nokia Technology President Patrik Hammarén said that the company is placing greater emphasis on patent acquisitions to strengthen its portfolio and explained why a vertical-by-vertical approach to licensing in the IoT and beyond is central to its royalty-boosting strategy. Meanwhile, Sisvel policy head Matteo Sabattini and Sullivan & Cromwell partner Garrard Beeney argued that Major League Baseball has lessons to teach the FRAND world about ADR; and a German MEP called for European Commission scrutiny of the Big Tech-backed Alliance for Open Media’s video standards licensing practices.

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

Ericsson has announced a SEP licence agreement with POS device maker Verifone. Read more (Roy Maharaj on LinkedIn)

Samsung and Sharp have joined the VVC pool operated by Access Advance as licensor/licensees. Read more (Access Advance press release)

Lenovo and China Telecom have joined the Avanci EV Charger programme as licensors. Read more (Marianne Frydenlund on LinkedIn)

Assignment data has revealed recent SEP transactions involving companies including Oppo, Panasonic, Nokia and Huawei. Read more (ip fray) 🔒

Legal

Ericsson secured the first SEP injunction ever awarded in Africa when Morocco’s Casablanca Commercial Court granted one against Transsion just days before the two companies settled their global dispute. Read more (IAM). 🔒 See also ip fray and Ericsson press release

The UPC’s Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre has established a working group to develop guidelines and best practice recommendations for proceedings involving FRAND-related disputes. Read more (PMAC News)

Cerinet USA has kicked off one of the first major SEP enforcement campaigns in the ATSC 3.0 market, accusing 12 companies of using technology that is essential to the next-generation television standard. Read more (IAM) 🔒

Policy & Opinion

In SEP/FRAND disputes, an established dispute resolution mechanism from an unlikely source – Major League Baseball – may offer an effective way of bridging the gap between competing licensing positions. Read more (IAM) 🔒

“There are circumstances under which a patent holder that licenses its patents can establish irreparable harm and inadequacy of monetary remedies,” US Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General Dina Kallay reaffirmed in a speech in Washington DC. Read more (DoJ Office of Public Affairs)

A German MEP has asked the European Commission to investigate the Alliance for Open Media’s patent licensing policies. Read more (MLex) 🔒

Strategy & Analysis

Nokia licensing chief Patrik Hammarén has explained the company’s targeted vertical-by-vertical approach in his first major interview since his appointment. Read more (IAM)🔒

AI, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing are among the fastest-growing technology areas for new Chinese patent filings. Read more (IAM) 🔒

Choosing the venue in which to fight a patent dispute is one of the most important decisions that any owner of an infringed patent can make. Read more (IP Watchdog)