ETSI Headquarters, Sophia Antipolis, France – 6 May 2013
The ETSI IPR Special Committee met in Mainz, Germany, for 3 days in April 2013, during which the topics of Transfer of patent ownership, Reciprocity, FRAND conditions and Injunctive Relief were discussed. The meeting was attended by a large number of ETSI Members, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the US Department of Justice, and the US Federal Trade Commission.
The ETSI General Assembly of March 2013 had previously adopted clarifications into the ETSI IPR Policy concerning the transfer of ownership of Essential IPR (Article 6.1 bis of Annex 6 Rules of Procedure). The IPR Special Committee is discussing accompanying changes in the related ETSI Guide.
Regarding reciprocity, FRAND, and Injunctive Relief the Committee is continuing to analyze various proposals. . No consensus has yet been reached and discussion will continue off-line and in the next meeting in June.
The IPR Special Committee has also requested the ETSI secretariat to explore the possibility of suitable Alternative Disputes Resolution services that may be useful in resolving FRAND disputes.
ETSI IPR SC next meeting is scheduled for June 2013. Further meetings are planned for September 2012 and January 2014.