Giorgia Varvelli explains what it takes to run a successful licensing programme

In her 20-year career with Sisvel, Giorgia Varvelli has had a hand in some of the company’s most successful licensing programmes. From her start as a deputy licensing manager working on MPEG Audio to her leadership of several DVB offerings to her current role managing the high-profile Wi-Fi 6 pool, her work has spanned deal-making, pool formation and programme management.

Giorgia operates out of Sisvel’s Italian office in None, near Turin. We sat down with her in Barcelona last month as she was preparing to lead the annual meeting of Wi-Fi 6 pool members. Our conversation covered what goes into the programme manager position, how her licensing experience helps her to run the programme and the growing momentum in the Wi-Fi 6 pool.

What does a Sisvel programme manager do?

It’s a little different for each programme and each person. For Wi-Fi 6, the vast majority of my time is dedicated to patent owners. This involves listening to their needs and requests, addressing their questions and improving the programme if they believe that improvements are necessary. Since there are many stakeholders, I must take on board everybody’s opinion and the outcome will be a compromise.

The second main area is acting as a link between the Wi-Fi 6 patent owners and the rest of the Sisvel business. If a patent owner has a legal need, I will be the person in the middle between the patent owners and our legal team. The same applies for other departments, such as the distribution team and Sisvel Tech. It is very time-consuming to coordinate all of these engagements and keep them moving forward.

The third area is developing the overall strategy for the programme. This requires a detailed understanding of potential licensees, especially the most significant ones. It also involves reviewing market data to ensure that we have a clear picture of the key players and key segments. This too requires close collaboration with the other internal Sisvel teams.

All this results in a lot of time constraints and means that I can’t always play a role in day-to-day negotiations with implementers, which are led by our dedicated licensing department. But I follow the most important discussions and maintain a general view of what’s going on.

How involved do you get on the technical side?

As a lawyer, I am more focused on the commercial, business and legal side, and less on the technology side. In technical discussions, the support of the Sisvel Technology team is crucial. In licensing talks, they assist our negotiators by providing in-depth explanations of the technologies, standard, patents and claim charts. Sisvel Tech experts who support our programme are Wi-Fi specialists – they know the subject matter inside out.

But I do think it’s important for the programme manager to have an understanding of the patents included in the pool. When I start working on a programme, I always organise some sessions with Sisvel Tech to learn more about what we are licensing. This means understanding the patents for each patent owner and the characteristics of those patents. Even though I’m not a technical person, I think it’s important for me to have a clear mindset on what we are offering to the market.

What does success look like for a programme manager?

A programme manager is best operating in the background. However, when there are issues, she or he will be in the middle of everything, helping to work through them.

How did you get into IP?

I studied law and specialised in contract law. My master’s thesis compared freedom of contract under German and Italian civil law. But over the years, I’ve had several opportunities to use my German language skills and legal knowledge, given the importance of Germany as a patent litigation venue.

After completing my legal training in Italy, I joined a company of the Ferrero Groupthat was focused on trademark and copyright licensing.

This was all about brand and business collaboration. These were not confrontational discussions; they were constructive exercises to define the terms and conditions of cooperation. It was very different from patent licensing, where we have players that want to use the technology without paying.

After one year at Ferrero, I moved to Sisvel as a deputy licensing manager and was mainly focused on licensing.

What were the first Sisvel programmes you worked on?

My role involved supporting the licensing director. At the time, MPEG Audio was our biggest programme. Our licensing efforts spanned a wide range of consumer electronics products and we had an active enforcement programme alongside lots of litigation-free licensing. After a few years, I was appointed as a programme manager for a number of our pools related to digital video broadcasting – first DVB-T, then DVB-T2 and subsequently DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X. In those roles, I spent around half my time on pure licensing and the other half on programme management.

Then you took over the Wi-Fi 6 programme. What has been the biggest difference moving to the Wi-Fi space?

In comparison with the DVB family of standards, Wi-Fi 6 is a much bigger universe, both geographically and in terms of product categories. DVB-T2, for example, is not used in North America. The DVB-T2 programme was also unique in that we were able to assemble a true one-stop shop, including all the SEP owners in our programme. That meant we had to resort to litigation only in very limited situations.

To compare this with MPEG Audio is difficult because it was such a different historical period. When we started with the programme more than 20 years ago, we frequently used tools such as border detentions. This surely helped the market and implementers to become aware of the importance of licences. Over the years, this enforcement framework evolved and the focus is now on specific litigation campaigns rather than customs enforcement.

With respect to Wi-Fi 6, I can say that even though our solution is now very well recognised by the market – we have close to 40 licensees – our patent owners do occasionally still feel the need to litigate. This is because some companies have unfortunately shown either a total lack of responsiveness or a clear unwillingness to take a licence.

We’ve seen some big deals from the pool in recent months. Have you noticed a change in the atmosphere of licence discussions as the pool gains momentum?

It’s always positive when large players take a licence without litigation. And we are fortunate that the patent owners in our pool are very active – they have had success defending their rights in court and they engage with implementers bilaterally. That helps to demonstrate the value proposition of the pool.

It’s true that some companies that were previously non-responsive have changed their approach and engaged with us after seeing litigations filed by our patent owners. That said, it really depends on the player. If the willingness to take a licence is not there, even litigation will not always persuade companies to engage seriously in licensing discussions.

How did your experience in licensing prepare you for your programme management role?

My personal view is that it is essential for a programme manager to have experience in licensing. If you don’t understand the mindset, market and needs of potential licensees, it’s difficult to convey their point of view to the patent owners.

For Wi-Fi 6, I am 100% dedicated to programme management due to the complexity of the programme and the multiple players involved. I do have a general view of what’s happening on the licensing side and I will be copied in on the most important conversations. Even if I don’t follow every step of each negotiation personally, my experience provides me with a clear idea of the background of each negotiation and a good sense of the market expectations.

A licensing background also prepares you to listen to the market, which is key to the success of any programme. I have great respect for the business needs of both pool members and licensees. Success depends on crafting a balanced solution while remaining adaptable.

Big picture, what’s the most significant change you’ve noticed in the Wi-Fi market?

The main change so far is increased awareness of the value of taking a Wi-Fi 6 pool licence. We’re sending the message that all of the portfolios in our programme must be respected and it’s important to reward the R&D contributions of each individual patent owner. There will always be some companies that display unwillingness or that don’t act without litigation – but it’s becoming clearer to good-faith operators that the pool licence provides broad coverage on very fair terms.

Quickfire questions…

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Wherever there's culture. In general, I love interacting with people with different backgrounds and who speak different languages because I find it a very enriching experience. If a place allows you to combine all these things, it’s definitely a mix that makes me lean towards it.

What’s your favourite TV series?

I don't usually watch TV series. I prefer reading and I like to explore different genres. At the moment, I'm reading a very interesting book by Halldór Laxness.

What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received?

I was told by a mentor many years ago to stay true to myself no matter what. I always try to do that.