IPO SEPs

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a call for views on standard essential patents (SEPs). The IPO said the aim was to better understand how the current SEPs framework encourages innovation and promotes competition. It will gather evidence on the link between'¯SEPs, innovation'¯and competition and how these elements'¯interrelate;'¯the functioning of the market,'¯and'¯whether there is an imbalance'¯between the licensor and licensee; transparency'¯in the SEPs ecosystem; and the'¯efficiency of SEPs licensing, functioning of the patent framework and'¯FRAND litigation. The call for views closes on 1 March 2022 at 23:45.