Replies to post #208525 on InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[jjff]

Nokia now pushing a FRAND argument, at what point does Nokia's own expert testimony about royalty rates per essential patents come back and bite them on their ass?

[revlis]

plumear,

Below is article 6 of the ETSI

6 Availability of Licences
6.1 When an ESSENTIAL IPR relating to a particular STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION is brought to the attention of ETSI, the Director-General of ETSI shall immediately request the owner to give within three months an undertaking in writing that it is prepared to grant irrevocable licences on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions under such IPR to at least the following extent:
Page 2
ETSI Rules of Procedure, 29 March 2007
● MANUFACTURE, including the right to make or have made customized components and sub-systems to the licensee's own design for use in MANUFACTURE;
● sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of EQUIPMENT so MANUFACTURED;
● repair, use, or operate EQUIPMENT; and
● use METHODS.
The above undertaking may be made subject to the condition that those who seek licences agree to reciprocate.
6.2 As long as the requested undertaking of the IPR owner is not granted, the COMMITTEE Chairmen should, if appropriate, in consultation with the ETSI Secretariat use their judgment as to whether or not the COMMITTEE should suspend work on the relevant parts of the STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION until the matter has been resolved and/or submit for approval any relevant STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION.
6.3 At the request of the European Commission and/or EFTA, initially for a specific STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION or a class of STANDARDS/TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS, ETSI shall arrange to have carried out in a competent and timely manner an investigation including an IPR search, with the objective of ascertaining whether IPRs exist or are likely to exist which may be or may become ESSENTIAL to a proposed STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS and the possible terms and conditions of licences for such IPRs. This shall be subject to the European Commission and/or EFTA meeting all reasonable expenses of such an investigation, in accordance with detailed arrangements to be worked out with the European Commission and/or EFTA prior to the investigation being undertaken.

http://www.etsi.org/WebSite/document/Legal/ETSI_IPR-Policy.pdf

[revlis]

plumear,

This taken from article 8 where the article concerns the non availability of IPR. There it is clear that the IPR policy concerns essential patents and not the mere participation of the patent owner.

mo

Where the IPR owner refuses the Director-General's request or does not answer the letter within three months, the Director-General shall inform the General Assembly and, if available, provide the General Assembly with the IPR owner's explanation for consideration. A vote shall be taken in the General Assembly on an individual weighted basis to immediately refer the STANDARD or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION to the relevant COMMITTEE to modify it so that the IPR is no longer ESSENTIAL.