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

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