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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Last week, the European Commission’s Competition DG caught many by surprise when it announced it had written a guidance letter stating that if certain conditions were met, it believed a licensing negotiation group proposed by a number of major companies in the auto sector, including BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen, would not run contrary to European competition law. The conditions include: the LNG must focus on the licensing of standards not specific to the auto sector; membership of the LNG must be open to other companies; negotiations with SEP owners would voluntary; and the limitation of information exchange between LNG members to be limited to what is “objectively necessary to conduct joint licensing negotiation”. 

IP Europe, which represents a number of SEP licensors, said it “respectfully disagrees” with the Commission and regretted that none of its members had been consulted before the guidance was issued. “It is imperative that the Commission carefully monitor the ALNG going forward. Industry, for its part, will certainly do so,” IP Europe stated.  

While the letter is a statement of opinion, not fixed law, it is the first time the Commission has signalled its support for LNGs and defined the circumstances under which they might operate. What happens next will now be closely watched. 

Elsewhere, it was a busy week in the courts, with, among other things, Dolby securing a significant win in India in litigation against domestic mobile phone manufacturer Lava; and IP Bridge winning a preliminary injunction in Brazil in a case involving a 4G SEP. There was also news of a new licensor joining the Sisvel Cellular IoT pool.   

Please note that 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 pointing out.   

Market  

We welcomed Kyocera as the latest patent owner to join Sisvel Cellular IoT. Sisvel | Kyocera joins Sisvel Cellular IoT pool as a licensor 

Velocity Communication Technologies launched a Wi-Fi 6 patent enforcement campaign targeting major tech players in US courts. NPE launches WiFi 6 patent enforcement campaign (11 suits): SEPs formerly owned by ZTE, NXP, Marvell asserted against Acer, ASUSTek, LG, HP, Lenovo – ip fray 

The patent pool offering lithium-ion battery technology owned by LG Energy and Panasonic Energy is open to adding new members, its administrator says. Tulip Innovation to expand LG/Panasonic battery pool and enter new sectors, says CEO - IAM 🔒 

Legal 

Indian smartphone maker Lava was ordered by the Delhi High Court to pay a $2.3 million security deposit relating to past sales in a dispute with Dolby over audio coding SEPs. Devanshu Khanna | LinkedIn | IAM Coverage🔒| MLex Coverage🔒 

IP Bridge secured a preliminary injunction against BYD in Brazil in a case involving alleged infringement of a 4G SEP.  IP Bridge wins preliminary injunction against BYD in Brazil: no immediate enforcement, but potential fines accumulate – ip fray 

An English judge refused to delay the scheduled FRAND trial between Huawei and MediaTek in favour of a Chinese rate-setting action that was filed first. Huawei fails in second attempt to stay MediaTek’s UK rate-setting action - IAM 🔒 

A US court paused discovery in a FRAND case brought by Samsung against ZTE while it considers whether to dismiss the complaint against the Chinese SEP owner. Federal judge’s preliminary assessment: Samsung’s U.S. case against ZTE over FRAND may very well be thrown out – ip fray 

The Delhi High Court ordered Korea’s Ace Technologies to furnish a $35 million bank guarantee pending a trial over cellular base station technology. Delhi High Court orders Korean defendant to deposit $43 million in patent infringement dispute – ip fray 

Policy & Opinion 

The European Commission published a guidance letter stating that the creation of an Automotive Licensing Negotiation Group will not raise antitrust concerns given certain conditions are met.  

• Announcement: Press Release - European Commission  

• IP Europe statement: EU guidance on automotive licensing negotiating group for SEPs 

• More coverage: ip fray | IAM 🔒| MLex 🔒 

China's rise in technology is not a result of theft, but of decades of investment in talent, science and infrastructure. Column: Protecting intellectual property rights: China in action-Xinhua 

Strategy & Analysis 

Patents related to Wi-Fi and cellular standards remain hot commodities on the secondary market. Sisvel | Patent buyers making big bets on Wi-Fi and cellular 

Discretionary denials at the PTAB increased sharply in the first six months of the year, according to data published by Unified Patents. Patent Dispute Report: 2025 Mid-Year Report — Unified Patents 

Some troubling threats are emerging for those hoping for pro-strong patent legislative reform in the US. Still fighting for fairness: an update on US patent legislation battles - IAM 🔒