IBM IP split revealed; Qualcomm licensing exclusive; WHO backs covid TRIPs override; Ericsson CEO wants fair value deals;  Battery patent leaders named; 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

MONDAY 19th October

Japanese companies with some of the biggest patent portfolios in the market face difficult decisions on how to contain costs in an uncertain economic environment. Read more here

In part one of an exclusive interview, Qualcomm’s licensing chief talks to IAM about an improving climate for SEP holders and what he’s learned from the company’s recent courtroom battles. Read more here

TUESDAY 20th October

Recent US patent assignments add context to an LTE deal between Huawei and Sharp, which was only the latest in a long running IP relationship between the pair. Read more here

A WHO-backed proposal seeks to suspend key TRIPs protections for patents and trade secrets over fears concerning covid vaccine supplies. Read more here

In the second instalment of our exclusive interview, Qualcomm’s Alex Rogers talks US SEP FRAND policy, a new litigation playbook and developing licensing strategies for the IoT. Read more here

WEDNESDAY 21st October

Korean industry groups are fretting about increased patent oppositions from Japan Inc in the semiconductor sphere, but it's not time to panic yet. Read more here

From key court decisions in the United States and Europe to positive policy developments, the global SEP community enjoyed a summer to remember. Read more here

A UK patent fight pitting three related NPEs against Apple took another turn late last week when the iPhone giant agreed to a court determined licence to avoid the threat of a sales ban. Read more here

THURSDAY 22nd October

Toyota hoped to create interest in hybrid technology with the April 2019 announcement that it would license 24,000 patents royalty-free. Two deals in China suggest the strategy is succeeding. Read more here

Group of leading US IP academics say that the courts must take another look at the antitrust issues raised by AbbVie’s Humira patent thicketing strategy. Read more here

In the wake of IBM’s announcement that it is spinning off its managed infrastructure services unit, we reveal that a part of the legacy patent portfolio will move to the NewCo. Read more here

FRIDAY 23rd October

Japan’s top telco carrier, NTT Docomo, will soon be taken private by parent NTT at a time when both entities are seeking more revenue from their patents. Read more here

Analysis reveals that Japanese and South Korean heavyweights are the world’s patent leaders within battery technologies, including the high-growth area of lithium-ion. Read more here

With key patent licensing deal renewals looming. Ericsson’s CEO says that the company will accept revenue gaps to get “fair value” from new agreements. Read more here 

SATURDAY 24th October

The global covid-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on higher education in the US and beyond, but it also provides an opportunity to re-think how the IP lawyers of the future are trained. Read more here

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