Optis v Apple set for UK denouement; Oppo and Verifone agree POS deal; Nokia secures interim payment award; Transsion reveals new Ericsson and InterDigital case details; 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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Rather than looking back, this week we look forward to events set to take place in London over the next few days, when Optis and Apple come before the UK Supreme Court in what is almost certainly the last play in the UK leg of their long-running litigation battle. With Apple currently on the hook for a $502 million plus interest payment, a lot of money is at stake. But that’s not all. The outcome could have far wider ramifications, given that the case revolves around the approach that UK courts should take when determining global FRAND licensing terms and whether the Court of Appeal erred in overturning the initial High Court decision that saw Optis awarded just $56.43 million. The FRAND/SEP world will be watching the arguments very closely and waiting intently for the decision that follows.

Meanwhile, highlights from last week included the announcement of a major point-of-sale (POS) licensing deal involving Oppo and Verifone, as well as an interim payment award secured by Nokia in the UK against defendants Warner Bros, Discovery and Paramount in a suit involving the alleged infringement of video streaming patents. Elsewhere, among many other things, Transsion revealed new details of its multi-jurisdictional disputes with Ericsson and InterDigital.

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

Oppo has agreed a major POS licence deal with Verifone, allowing the US company to integrate Oppo’s connectivity SEPs into its POS devices. Read more (IAM) 🔒

Nokia and ASUS have entered into a licensing agreement, whose terms will be determined through an arbitration process. Read more (JUVE Patent)

Via LA has become the second patent pool administrator, after Sisvel, to make data about the verified SEPs in its programmes available through WIPO database PATENTSCOPE. Read more (WIPO announcement). See also Via LA press release

Recently appointed Sisvel CTO Giovanni Ballocca will draw on a long and varied career in R&D as he formulates his plans to keep the company at the cutting edge of technology and business. Read more (Sisvel Insights)

Legal

The High Court of Justice for England and Wales has set confidential interim payments for Warner Bros, Discovery and Paramount to make to Nokia in advance of a November 2026 rate-setting trial. Read more (ip fray). 🔒See also IAM🔒

Transsion has revealed previously unknown details about Ericsson and InterDigital’s SEP enforcement campaign against it across Europe and Southeast Asia. Read more (IAM) 🔒

Policy & Opinion

Concerns about timeliness are one major reason why SEP holders are resistant to agreeing to UK courts setting interim licences. Read more (Patricio Delgado, LinkedIn)

Patent owners seeking to halt USPTO IPR challenges will have more time to appeal for director review under a precedential decision issued by Director John Squires. Read more (MLex)🔒

Chinese FRAND rulings raise questions about judicial neutrality, global patent licensing and Washington's latest legislative proposal. Read more (IAM) 🔒

A European Commission official has said that technical standards could help to commercialise quantum technologies. Read more (MLex) 🔒

The Japan Patent Office will launch a pilot programme in July allowing companies to time patent examination around technical standard-setting activity. Read more (MLex)

Strategy & Analysis

The UK Supreme Court will hear Optis v Apple next week and its final decision could shape SEP licensing globally. Read more (Pinsent Masons). See also IAM 🔒

The EPO Observatory has produced a new report outlining the methodologies used by courts in seven countries to make FRAND determinations. Read more (EPO News). See also MLex 🔒

Patent litigation over DRAM and NAND memory in US federal district courts has intensified over the past decade, new analysis reveals. Read more (IAM) 🔒