Licensing friction is not inevitable. Let’s do something about it

Dan McCurdy explains the origins and aims of the Patent Licensing Innovation Laboratory, a new initiative he has joined Sisvel to lead

The following remarks were delivered by Dan McCurdy at Sisvel Connect on 16 September, 2026.

When I stepped down as CEO of RPX at the end of June, I knew I was not ready to retire, but I did not know what the next chapter would be. I only knew that I wanted to work with people I genuinely like, who are deeply respected and trusted in our industry, and who are focused on improving the patent ecosystem where I have spent four decades.

That's when Mattia appeared. We spoke about our shared conviction: the continuing friction surrounding patent licensing is neither inevitable nor beyond our ability to reduce.

For most of my career, I have worked with, or for, operating company licensees, often bringing them together to resolve patent disputes more efficiently. Sisvel has spent decades bringing patent owners together to more efficiently license their patents.

The two models address opposite sides of the market but reflect the same insight: collective action reduces needless cost and complexity. Licensees can often resolve disputes more efficiently together. A portfolio including patents from many owners can be licensed more efficiently than through separate negotiations with each of them.

Yet neither model is a complete answer. Serious obstacles remain: search costs, information gaps, valuation disagreements, repetitive negotiations and litigation used far too often as a path to a transaction. These inefficiencies cost our industry, shareholders and consumers tens of billions of dollars each year. Much of that expense creates no invention, no product and no value for either side.

So, let's quickly rewind.

Last year, after Sisvel Connect, a small group of licensors and licensees met to discuss the state of the licensing ecosystem. Veteran licensing leaders were present. They even let me attend!

It was a thoughtful discussion. But like so many worthwhile meetings, we left beautiful, sultry Barcelona, returned to our daily lives, and the ideas gradually became a memory.

When Mattia and I spoke in early July, we asked each other: what would it take to convert a good conversation into sustained, practical work?

From that question came the Patent Licensing Innovation Laboratory: a structured, neutral environment in which licensors, licensees and other experts can identify important problems, develop solutions, test and refine them and share what works.

The laboratory will not be another pool, administrator, standards body, lobbying organisation or litigation enterprise. It will not advance one side's agenda over another. Its purpose is to improve the efficiency, transparency, predictability and effectiveness of licensing while preserving the legitimate interests and incentives of patent owners and implementers.

We at Sisvel have agreed to sponsor the laboratory's formation, provided industry leaders first agree that at least one significant licensing problem can realistically be addressed through collective action.

Tomorrow morning, the roundtable will meet for a second time. We will ask whether such problems exist, whether practical solutions may be possible and whether there is sufficient commitment, from all sides, to work on at least one of the most pressing problems as a starting point.

After forty years in this field, I would be surprised if we conclude there is no pressing licensing problem worth solving together.

Assuming an enthusiastic yes to the lab, our first task will be disciplined and concrete: we will select one priority problem from a list of many; gather the right participants and reliable information; consider competing approaches; design and test a solution; measure the results; refine it and, if it works, make it available for broad industry adoption.

I imagine this must be a bit like building a symphony orchestra. You bring together gifted musicians with experience, ambition, strong opinions, and perhaps a desire to be the soloist. The conductor's job is to ensure every section is heard and none overwhelms the others. To succeed, every orchestra member must believe the collective performance will achieve something far greater than any individual musician can accomplish alone.

The lab will require the same balance, discipline, trust and shared purpose.

I have created or participated in five prior collective enterprises involving IP. So, as the saying goes, this ain't my first time at the rodeo. But it may be among the most important.

I am optimistic because the people in this room, many of whom I know, possess the experience, creativity and credibility to make a meaningful contribution to patent licensing worldwide. I look forward to working alongside you, and I hope to do so beginning tomorrow.

Dan McCurdy is Executive Director, Patent Licensing Innovation Laboratory at Sisvel