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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Interim licences have emerged as a controversial part of the UK courts’ approach to SEP litigation. Up to now, they have been granted at the request of defendants and then been largely ignored by plaintiffs. Last week all that changed when the High Court of England and Wales issued an interim licence at the request of Huawei, the plaintiff in a dispute involving Wi-Fi 6 patents in which the defendant is TP-Link.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Meade adopted the standard mid‑point rate between the parties’ offers, while observing that this need not always be the outcome. The amount is a non-refundable $12 million and covers infringement dating back to 2008, with interest set at US Prime plus 1%.

The judge also rejected UPC criticism of interim licences, stating, among other things:

I doubt if parties who are genuinely negotiating global terms will shape their approach just to affect the interim licence that the UK or other courts may set ... They will have bigger considerations in mind. Still less I think will licensors set rack rates for their whole licensing business with the UK interim licence approach in mind.

Huawei and TP-Link will now pause all global litigation until a full rate-setting trial takes place in the UK. A decision in that is expected in the first half of next year.

Elsewhere, Sisvel Insights published an in-depth interview with Heath Hoglund, our first-ever Chief IP Officer, in which he details why he joined us and shares his plans. “Sisvel has a bright future. There are going to be more opportunities to build successful patent pools. Investing in people and technology will drive that success. I am confident we will do it. That’s why I’m here,” he concludes.

There was news, too, of pressure on the US Trade Representative to include both the EU and the UK in the next Special 301 Report over concerns about their FRAND/SEP regimes; while Ericsson’s Chief Licensing Officer said the company is entering 2026 with strong momentum and a clear path for growth.

Please note that the 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 flagging.

Market

ASUSTek, D-Link, TP-Link and Ubiquiti are facing suits for infringement of Wi-Fi related patents in a new litigation campaign from AX Wireless LLC. Read more (ip fray) 🔒

Oracle has been targeted with 4G/5G SEP infringement claims in the Western District of Texas by licensor Mobility Workx. Read more (ip fray) 🔒

Avanci has revealed royalty rates for its video programme and said it has secured a licensee. Read more (Avanci LinkedIn)

Legal

In a case involving Huawei and TP-Link, the High Court of England and Wales has set its first interim licence rate at the request of an SEP holder and licensor. Read more (IAM) 🔒See also ipfray

Sisvel has welcomed a Munich Regional Court decision validating royalty rates offered under its Wi-Fi pool as FRAND. Read more (Sisvel newsroom)

In a case involving HEVC technology, the Munich Regional Court has ruled that patent pool royalty rates are well below the FRAND value of the pooled assets. Read more (ip fray) 🔒

The FRAND trial pitting Nokia against Paramount and Warner Bros in the English High Court could be argued as early as October following an expedition order. Read more (IAM) 🔒

English High Court Judge Richard Meade has urged Amazon and InterDigital to settle their disagreements over the scope of a UPC ruling in a closely watched SEP dispute. Read more (MLex) 🔒

An appeals court in Brazil has reinstated an injunction against Samsung based on 5G claims made by ZTE. Read more (ip fray)

Policy & Opinion

Stakeholders have urged the US government to address EU and UK SEP policies in its next Special 301 report on global IP protection. Read more (MLex) 🔒. See also IAM 🔒

WIPO hosted an event in Geneva to mark the inclusion of validated patents from Sisvel programmes in its PATENTSCOPE platform. Read more (Sisvel LinkedIn)

The European Commission has some important calls to make over how to proceed on the regulation of SEP licensing and litigation in the EU. Read more (MLex) 🔒

India’s Supreme Court is set to take up the question of whether the Competition Commission of India can investigate conduct linked to patent rights. Read more (MLex) 🔒

Strategy & Analysis

Heath Hoglund has outlined his priorities as Sisvel CIPO and shared his perspective on what goes into a successful patent pool. Read more (Sisvel Insights)

SEP owners must be aware of key practice changes to make the most of an improved US environment for rights holders, writes Sisvel licensing director Alex Debski. Read more (Sisvel Insights)

The Ericsson IPR and Licensing team enters 2026 with strong momentum, confidence in its strategy and a clear path for continued growth, says global CLO Roy Maharaj. See more (Roy Maharaj LinkedIn)

New guidelines for judicial mediation of SEP disputes issued by the Tokyo High Court are designed to be an effective tool for SEP holders and implementers alike. Read more (Toshifumi Futamata LinkedIn)

Applying AI to SEP essentiality analysis requires careful risk management. Read more (IAM) 🔒