London Court of Appeal Validates IPCom’s Mobile Telecoms Patent Critical to the UMTS Standard

MUNICH, Germany, Jan. 09, 2018 -- IPCom, a leading patent licensing entity with a global portfolio of mobile telecommunications patents, today announced that, earlier in 2017, the London Court of Appeal confirmed both the validity and infringement of IPCom’s mobile telecoms European Patent (EP 1 841 268) (the “’100A”) in its decision against the leading global handset vendor, HTC. The confirmation by the Court of Appeal of the validity of this critical patent and of HTC’s infringement demonstrates the value and quality of this technology to mobile telecommunications companies.  In the event that the parties are unable to reach a settlement on the terms of a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (“FRAND”) license, the parties will move next to the damages inquiry phase of the action.  In addition to the 100A action in the United Kingdom, as part of its ongoing effort to protect its intellectual property rights, IPCom recently filed a lawsuit against HTC in Germany for infringement of two additional IPCom patents. 

“We’re pleased the Court found, after significant investigation and appeals, that the 100A is valid and essential to the UMTS standard,” said Bernhard Frohwitter, managing director and co-founder of IPCom. “At long last, this paves the way for the industry as a whole to move forward with clear direction established by the court system. IPCom, with a portfolio of over 1,150 relevant or essential patents, stands ready to engage diligently with all manufacturers and service providers in the mobile industry.”

Achieving this confirmation of validity and infringement was long and hard-fought but the decision by the Court of Appeal establishes that the 100A is standard-essential and mandatory to the UMTS standard. This particular patent is related to controlling how UMTS mobile telephones gain initial access to the network. As a result, any entity developing networks, handsets, or equipment for today’s mobile networks should be engaging with IPCom regarding this critical element, as well as the hundreds of other relevant mobile technology patents within the firm’s portfolio.

IPCom continues to engage with any industry participants who wish to take licenses on FRAND conditions as set forth by the European Commission and relayed to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). IPCom has a policy of offering all market participants implementing standards-compliant products and services FRAND licences and has been diligently doing so for many years. The confirmation of the 100A’s validity and infringement by implementation of the UMTS standard reinforces the fact that UMTS implementors, if not already licensed, should be taking steps to negotiate with IPCom concerning its essential patent portfolio.

Companies manufacturing or selling mobile devices or offering services compliant with 2G (GMS), 2.5G (GPRS), 3G (UMTS) and 4G (LTE) should, therefore, contact IPCom to request a FRAND license agreement.  To request a license, please send your company name and contact information to [email protected]. 

About IPCom
IPCom is a Patent Licensing Entity founded in 2007 to establish a link between patent developers and patent users. Its core business is the global licensing of patents from its own portfolio to manufacturers in the industry. Bosch originally developed IPCom’s patents. The current patent portfolio encompasses approximately 1150 patents in the field of mobile communications, registered in Europe, the US and Asia. Among these are a number of patents that are declared standard-essential for the key mobile communications standards of 2G (GMS), 2.5G (GPRS), 3G (UMTS) and 4G (LTE).

For more information:
Jay Nichols
Nichols Communications
[email protected]
Tel: +1 408-772-1551