FTC v. Qualcomm – Amicus Filer Perspectives
On May 21, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) won its landmark case against Qualcomm, securing a key legal victory establishing important precedent around unacceptable—and illegal—licensing conduct involving standard-essential patents. The case is now on appeal, and Qualcomm, the defendant, has convinced the 9th Circuit to stay the remedies temporarily while it considers the substantive aspects of the appeal.
While at first this case seems to be about the market for handsets and the technologies that comprise them, the impacts of the case are far more wide-ranging. As more and more devices are brought to life with software and connected to the network, the internet of things (IoT) permeates an increasingly diverse set of industry verticals—from the auto industry to agriculture. Many of the most exciting creators in this space are small and possess no meaningful bargaining power against a company with market power that leverages its inclusion in a standard. The outcome of the FTC v. Qualcomm case is, therefore, of critical importance to a wide range of stakeholders from small device makers, automakers, and consumers, to those who build the software that analyzes the data these devices collect.
Join this Hill briefing to:
– Learn about the licensing practices at issue in the FTC v. Qualcomm case,
– Hear from various filer perspectives in the case, and
– Understand what small businesses that develop software for handsets and IoT stand to lose from Qualcomm’s failure to adhere to fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory SEP-licensing.
Panel participants will include:
– Charles Duan, Director, Technology & Innovation, R Street Institute
– Jay Jurata, Partner, Orrick, Washington, DC, and Counsel for Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
– Josh Landau, Patent Counsel, Computer & Communications Industry Association
– Norberto Salinas, Senior Counsel & Director of Government Relations, Intel Corporation
– Morgan Reed, President, ACT | The App Association (Moderator)
This is a widely attended event and is open to the press. Lunch will be provided.
RSVP here.
