UK Supreme Court to hear Tesla’s Avanci appeal; New Sisvel IoT deal; Apple hit with $110m damages award; Tillis departure impact; plus much more
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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In a move that caught many by surprise, the UK Supreme Court has decided to hear an appeal by Tesla in a case where the automaker had asked the UK courts to set a FRAND licensing rate for the 5G auto platform run by Avanci, either directly or by treating InterDigital, one of the licensors offering their patents through the platform, as a representative of the other Avanci members. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal had held that no such ruling could be made.
The fact that the Supreme Court has agreed to the appeal does not imply any tacit agreement with Tesla’s arguments. However, the fact that Elon Musk’s company will now be able to present them does mean that a case many believed had put an end to the question of whether British judges can set FRAND rates for patent pools is still very much alive.
In other major news last week, Sisvel announced a deal with Indian IoT platform MoMAGIC – the first of its kind the company has done with an Asian module maker. Elsewhere, a US court ordered Apple to pay $110 million in damages for infringing a patent reading on wireless communication technology owned by the Spanish company TOT Power Control SL; while the decision by Senate Judiciary Committee’s IP sub-committee chair Thom Tillis not to seek re-election raised questions about the fate of several patent reform measures he has championed.
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
Sisvel Cellular IoT announced a deal with MoMAGIC which will empower customers of the India-based module maker to gain streamlined access to LTE-M and NB-IoT SEPs. Sisvel | MoMAGIC and Sisvel sign groundbreaking IoT patent deal
More than 30 participants have signed on to the video streaming programme launched by Access Advance in January. The company also unveiled the pool’s royalty structure. Access Advance Welcomes Global Technology Leaders as Licensees and Licensors to New Video Distribution Patent Pool - Access Advance
Legal
The UK Supreme Court will hear an appeal in the pool rate-setting dispute involving Tesla, InterDigital and Avanci.
A Delaware jury ordered Apple to pay over $100 million for an infringing a wireless communications patent owned by Barcelona-based TOT Power Control SL. Apple Owes Spanish TOT Power $111 Million After Patent Verdict - Bloomberg 🔒
French company Vantiva has filed a US lawsuit accusing Malikie Innovations of breaching FRAND obligations related to Wi-Fi patents. Malikie sees first pushback in global BlackBerry patent enforcement campaign: France’s Vantiva seeks FRAND declaration over WiFi SEPs – ip fray
Policy & Opinion
Thom Tillis, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committe’s IP sub-committee, will leave the Senate chamber after the 2026 elections, clouding the prospects of two key patent bills he has sponsored. Joff Wild - LinkedIn | Senator Tillis stepping down with possible impact on PERA, PREVAIL - IAM
Much has changed since the 2023 introduction of the SEP regulation. Policymakers should study the progress in market-driven IoT licensing before considering further action. Assessment needed: material developments in the SEP licensing landscape since 2023 - IP Europe
A provision that would have imposed new US taxes on litigation finance was cut from the Trump administration’s domestic policy legislation. Litigation Finance Levy Cut From Tax Bill by Senate Referee - Bloomberg 🔒
The new approach to the PTAB under USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart is in line with the legislative intent behind the America Invents Act. Squires, Stewart Comments Align with Congress’s Original Vision for PTAB - IP Watchdog
Strategy & Analysis
Sisvel announced a new initiative that will see it embrace environmental, social and governance reporting under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. Sisvel | Why Sisvel is embracing ESG reporting
New patent pool guidelines were among the most significant Chinese IP regulatory developments so far in 2025. China’s five most important IP regulatory developments in the first half of 2025 - IAM 🔒
Ericsson offers arbitration as an option to every party it is in legal dispute with over licensing issues but very few accept, the company’s head of litigation says. Ericsson’s assertion and enforcement head Robert Earle on the merits of arbitration – ip fray
More patent portfolios are being offered by brokers on the secondary market, IP execs say. Increasing Patent Deal Volume Could Signal Bounce in Patent Marketplace - IP Watchdog
