Professor Sir Robin Jacob participates in SEP Conference in Warsaw

IBIL's Professor Sir Robin Jacob was invited to participate at the 'Regulatory and Enforcement Developments for SEPs' conference held in Warsaw on 6-7 March 2025.

Patents covering technologies that are essential for the implementation of a technical standard are commonly known as standard essential patents (SEPs). Some of the most widely used technical standards include LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi and DVB. Licensing and enforcement of SEPs has led to litigation around the world, and while SEP holders commit to licensing on 'fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms' (FRAND), exactly what this entails remains contested, with ongoing debates on many aspects including transparency in SEP licensing and methods of determination of royalties.

This conference on SEPs was organised by the Polish Academy of Sciences, under the patronage of the Polish Patent Office, at a time when Poland has recently assumed the EU Council Presidency. The conference was held in association with the Faculty of Law of the Adam Mickiewicz University, and the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah. The conference brought together experts including judges, government officials, academics and business representatives from all sides of the SEP debates. Its sessions were dedicated to the global regulatory, policy and enforcement developments in SEP licensing, including discussion of the key court rulings, and the role of the UPC in shaping SEP disputes.

Professor Sir Robin Jacob chaired the panel entitled: 'New SEP Litigation landscape: Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, India' which comprised Juan Camilo Contreras Jaramillo (Pontifical Javeriana University), Payal Malik (ICRIER), Yogesh Pai (National Law University, Delhi), Giuseppe Colangelo (University of Basilicata) and Eduardo da Gama Camara Junior (Dannemann Siemsen).

Read more about the conference here.

Those interested in finding out more about SEPs might be interested in registering for our forthcoming event on 18 March: see: Standard-Essential Patents: Competition/IP law and recent global developments for more information.