Major US, UK SEP moves; ZTE’s big monetisation play; Germany last hope for covid IP waiver; China patent challenge survival rates up; JUUL ITC success; plus much more
Everything we covered on IAM over the last seven days – and all you need to know from the global IP market to set yourself up for the start of another busy week
The Long Read
The O-RAN Alliance is touted as a key initiative for furthering 5G deployment. Elisabeth Opie and Haris Tsilikas say its exclusive membership structure raises both IP and antitrust issues. Read more here
MONDAY 6 December
Data on validity challenges to Chinese patents compiled for IAM shows headline survival rates are creeping upward, but rights holders in pharma and telecoms still face big challenges. Read more here
You don’t hear much about Hyundai and patents, but the South Korean company has cultivated a portfolio that is larger than those owned by the likes of Volkswagen, Honda and Ford. Read more here
Data from Docket Navigator shows plaintiffs in US patent cases rarely request preliminary injunctions and that judges rarely grant them when they do. Read more here
TUESDAY 7 December
In consultation exercises launched within hours of each other, the US and UK governments have signalled new approaches to SEP and FRAND issues. Read more here
A recent survey in India found that industry – including both domestic companies and multinationals – would welcome the introduction of a national inventor remuneration law. Read more here
With talks over the proposed covid TRIPS suspension having stalled, a shift in Germany’s approach is the one realistic possibility that could revive the prospects of an IP waiver. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 8 December
ZTE wants to build up a billion dollar out-licensing business and is getting underway with patent assertions close to home. Read more here
A new research study concludes that the IEEE’s controversial 2015 patent policy change did not reduce innovation in Wi-Fi wireless standards. Read more here
THURSDAY 9 December
Japan Patent Office Commissioner Kiyoshi Mori has revealed that next year the agency will be updating its SEP negotiation guide to take account of recent developments. Read more here
The nomination of Kathi Vidal to serve as Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office has seen global patent leaders become slightly less pessimistic about the Biden administration’s IP policies. Read more here
JUUL IP head Wayne Sobon says that counterfeits threatened significant damage to the company’s reputation, but that it has successfully asserted patents at the ITC to mitigate the problem. Read more here
FRIDAY 10 December
Three-quarters of IP market leaders in latest IAM Panel Report say they’re taking a cautious approach to the UPC, which passed another key milestone for establishment last week. Read more here
Things have gone from bad to worse for PepsiCo in its Indian IP disputes over FC5, the potato variety used exclusively for the company’s famous Lay’s crisps. Read more here
Data from 2020 indicates that China is becoming a more popular venue for foreign patent plaintiffs and that they are enjoying high win rates. Read more here
SATURDAY 11 December
There is a case for excluding carbon-intensive inventions from patentability under TRIPS, while a tax on unused environmentally sound technologies can encourage wider dissemination of green tech. Read more here
