The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a standard essential patent hub aimed at helping businesses navigate the often complex ecosystem that surrounds them.

It is intended to be a “one stop shop” for any business in the UK seeking guidance related to standard essential patents (SEPs).

Adam Williams, CEO of the UK IPO, said that the hub will help ensure the UK’s IP framework serves as an enabler for businesses’ ideas and discoveries “to flourish, supporting the government’s mission to grow our economy”.

It was developed in collaboration with industry trade representatives, SEP implementers, SEP holders, start-up and scale-up businesses, research institutions and academia. The companies involved included key players in the SEP space such as Nokia and Qualcomm.

A patent that protects a technology deemed essential to implementing a technical standard is known as a standard essential patent.

People increasingly interact with SEPs in everyday life – in smartphones and telecommunications networks, cars, home appliances, UAVs (drones), smart meters and medical devices.

However, SEPs have been the focus of much global litigation between SEP holders and implementers and licensing them on terms which are considered fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND).

The hub is intended to help implementers, especially SMEs, navigate and better understand the SEP ecosystem and FRAND licensing. It is also meant to improve transparency in the ecosystem, both in relation to pricing and essentiality, and improve efficiency of dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.   

The hub is divided into four parts:

• Guidance on Technical Standards and Standard Development Organisations 
• Guidance on Standard Essential Patent Licensing 
• Guidance on Dispute resolution and remedies in SEP Licensing  
• Additional resources including a UK SEPs case law tracker, glossary of terms and international SEPs-specific resources which may be useful to UK businesses trying to navigate the SEPs ecosystem.  

The office stressed that the resource is not static, but will continue to be developed over time to include additional guidance and support. 

The new UK IP minister, Feryal Clark, said that the hub would help UK businesses navigate the SEP landscape and “bolster business confidence as they develop cutting-edge technologies across the NHS, transport, telecommunications and other key sectors”.

Matt Dixon, president of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, added: “It is great to see the UK IPO leading the world in providing such support. SEPs are one way in which patents can be used to give a fair reward to innovators while enabling the effective development of interoperable technologies.”

The hub is the latest initiative to improve transparency around SEPs. In May, the UK IPO and the US Patent and Trademark Office signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in their work on SEPs. The MoU will allow both offices to work together on matters related to SEPs, including conducting outreach activity to raise awareness of SEPs issues, or working together to achieve shared international coordination goals.