Time for covid patent truth; 6G SEP race begins; IPR institution rate up; LG mobile portfolio sale concerns; Unprecedented Chinese IP antitrust ruling; and 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 Patents Court in the UK has seen more than its fair share of precedent-busting FRAND cases in recent years. EIP’s Tom Brazier takes a scalpel to three of the biggest to tease out how litigants can secure disclosure of the kind of commercially sensitive information that will set them up for courtroom success. Read more here
MONDAY 26th April
Armed with hundreds of former Huawei patents, Honor is aiming to sell 100 million smartphones in the domestic Chinese market this year. Read more here
Demanding the suspension of patent rights to get more covid-19 vaccines to low- and medium-income countries is an attractive sound-bite. But it is an entirely counter-productive one. Read more here
Why the DoJ’s latest IEEE patent policy move is a giveaway to Big Tech at the expense of US technology leadership. Read more here
TUESDAY 27th April
A Chinese court has invoked the doctrine of essential facilities in a patent case for the first time, so thrusting the intersection of IP rights and antitrust law back to centre stage. Read more here
The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to the FTC’s ability to police anti-competitive behaviour, but pharma companies can still expect scrutiny of reverse-payments and sham patent litigation to grow. Read more here
A settlement with Daimler hands Conversant a notable boost, but fights involving the German company, Continental and Nokia mean a final auto SEP licensing peace deal is not yet in sight. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 28th April
Proposed US legislation, which has bipartisan support, would create a list of Chinese IP violators and affirms support for the use of sanctions to counter IP theft. Read more here
New data released by the USPTO shows that the IPR institution rate has ticked back up at the PTAB - and the picture looks even more concerning for IP owners if you dig a little deeper. Read more here
THURSDAY 29th April
A greater role in global patent disputes and an emphasis on antitrust are two IP trends set to continue in China, according to the latest roadmap from the Supreme People's Court. Read more here
A ruling by the US Tax Court has reversed established precedent and opened the way to generic drug companies being able to count their ANDA litigation costs as deductible expenses. Read more here
Qualcomm and Nokia recently reported their financial results for the first three months of the year, and both saw royalty gains thanks to China and a spate of new licencees. Read more here
FRIDAY 30th April
The rumour mill about LG’s smartphone patent sale is at full churn and media coverage in South Korea reflects anxieties about an iconic IP portfolio potentially going to overseas buyers. Read more here
Peloton, Icon Health & Fitness and Lululemon are being sued for infringement by Dish Network, so highlighting patent risks for businesses operating outside their core competencies. Read more here
Legislation that will enable the USPTO to collect far more diversity data on people filing patents passed an important hurdle when it was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Read more here
SATURDAY 1st May
The 6G patent horse race has begun and it's clear governments think quantity matters. That's why SEP portfolios are fast becoming a key metric for great power competition in the information age. Read more here