Faculty of Law and Administration of the Adam Mickiewicz University, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law and the Institute of Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, are pleased to invite you to the conference “Regulatory and Enforcement Developments for SEPs” which will be held under the patronage of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, on the 6 and 7 March 2025.

Patents covering technologies that are essential for implementation of standards are commonly known as standard essential patents (SEPs). Among the most widely used technical standards are, LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi and DVB. Access to standards on fair and reasonable terms is perceived as a key factor for innovation and competitiveness, and the use of SEPs will only increase with the development of the Internet of Things. Governments around the world have recognized strategic importance of standardization for economic growth, prosperity and global security.

Licensing and enforcement of SEPs has resulted in numerous controversies. Practices of both patent holders and standard implementers have led to litigation currently underway in many jurisdictions around the world. There are numerous discussions over the transparency in SEP licensing, methods of determination of royalties and other terms and conditions of the licensing agreements. Though SEP holders commit to licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, what constitutes FRAND is often unclear.

Regulators and policy makers around the world are taking various actions aimed at  clarification of the SEP landscape which will be discuss during the planned conference. Moreover, given that Poland took over Presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2025, we will be situated at the heart of the policy discussion of these important issues in Europe.

Also the Courts in different jurisdictions, on various continents are resolving SEP related disputes and some of them are setting FRAND rate. Some jurisdictions are getting more attractive then the others. In this context during the planned event, the role of the UPC after first years of its operation in comparison with other jurisdictions and its influence on the countries staying still outside of the system as Poland or UK will be discussed in the context of SEPs.

During the conference, regulatory and enforcement developments for SEPs will be analyzed from different perspectives by prominent speakers including judges, officials from different jurisdictions, academics from leading European and US institutions, as well as practitioners and representatives of both major SEP holders and  implementers as well as various institutions involved.   The conference will be held in Warsaw, Poland, on March 6-7, 2025  in the Staszic Palace, 72 Nowy Świat Street, Warsaw as well as online. The registration is now open, the registration link can be found below. Please note that the number of places on site is limited so don’t wait with registration. (REGISTRATION LINK)