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 

Philips has become the first plaintiff in an SEP-related case before the Unified Patent Court to win a permanent injunction. It did so last week, in a suit related to a patent declared essential to the Qi wireless charging standard, when the Munich Local Division issued a sales ban on three entities owned by defendant Belkin that covered Germany, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden. No doubt, the decision will be closely studied when it is published. 

Elsewhere, at an event in London the legal representative of the automotive licensing negotiation group recently given the green light by German competition authorities explained how he believes its arm’s length structure will enable it to stay on the right side of antitrust laws. In the US, meanwhile, RPX denied recent allegations in a lawsuit launched by DPU start-up Xockets that Nvidia and Microsoft had attempted to use it as a vehicle through which to negotiate below market-rate licensing deals.  

There was also exciting news out of Sisvel: we announced three more world class companies had signed up as licensors in our Cellular IoT pool and a major new appointment.      

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. 

Legal 

Philips has become the first plaintiff to secure a permanent injunction in a UPC SEP-related case. First-ever UPC SEP injunction: Philips prevails over Belkin on Qi wireless charging patent, but there was no FRAND defense for lack of market power – ip fray 

RPX has denied allegations made by Xockets in a EDTX lawsuit that the firm worked with Nvidia and Microsoft to form a negotiating cartel designed to secure licences to the start-ups patents at below market rates. RPX denies AI tech start-up’s “negotiating cartel” allegations - IAM (iam-media.com)  🔒 

In a new legal opinion, the Advocate General of the CJEU espouses a view that could significantly expand the competence of European courts, including the UPC, in patent infringement cases. BSH case could lead to greater competition among patent courts - JUVE Patent (juve-patent.com)  

Wilus filed US patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung Electronics, HP and Askey Computer; the accused products are Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices. Patent Pool Contributor Wilus Institute Launches WiFi 6 Litigation - News | RPX Insight (rpxcorp.com) 🔒 

Market 

Further details have emerged about how the automotive licensing negotiation group, recently given regulatory approval in Germany, will work. Automotive Licensing Negotiation Group – important insights emerge at IAM’s SEP Summit - IAM (iam-media.com) 🔒 

LG Electronics, KT Corporation and Vodafone joined the Sisvel Cellular IoT Pool as licensors, bringing the pool’s share of NB-IoT and LTE-M SEPs above 50%. Sisvel | LG Electronics, KT Corporation and Vodafone join Sisvel Cellular IoT patent pool 

• Further coverage: LG, Vodafone Join Sisvel's 'Internet Of Things' Patent Pool - Law360 🔒 

Jukka Nihtilä joined Sisvel as the head of the firm’s Business Development function. Nihtilä, who was previously Head of Business Development, Multimedia and New Segments at Nokia Technologies, will be based in Sisvel’s Barcelona office. Sisvel | Top IP executive takes leadership position at Sisvel 

Vivo has taken a licence to the AAC patent pool operated by Via LA, which now has all five of the world’s largest smartphone makers under licence. Vivo joins AAC pool by Via LA - IAM (iam-media.com) 🔒 

Policy 

Thierry Breton, a driving force behind the EU SEP regulation as the bloc’s internal market commissioner, stepped down with immediate effect.  Breton quits as EU Commissioner, blames von der Leyen's 'questionable governance' | Euronews 

In a highly anticipated report on European competitiveness, Mario Draghi said Europe’s top priority for reigniting growth must be closing the innovation gap with the US and China, especially in advanced technologies. The future of European competitiveness (europa.eu) 

The CEOs of Ericsson, Nokia and seventeen other large European businesses urged EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to boost investment in digital infrastructure. Nineteen European CEOs demand EC digitalization action - Ericsson 

Analysis/Opinion 

Sisvel interviewed Vittoria Mignone, R&D manager for Italian state broadcaster Rai, about her career as a researcher, inventor and patent manager in the field of broadcast technology. Sisvel | Inventor plays leading role in Rai’s patent licensing efforts  

Open innovation and patent information transparency were key themes of Huawei’s recent IP event. Huawei’s innovation and IP event shows trend toward more collaboration as if there was no geopolitical divide favored by Western politicians – ip fray 

A report from IAM and Docket Navigator names the most prolific plaintiffs, defendants, law firms and opt-out filers from the UPC’s first year of operation. Docket Navigator and IAM Litigation Report Q2 2024: The UPC - IAM (iam-media.com)🔒