The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launches the WIPO Mediation Pledge by SEP Holders to IoT SMEs. In this new initiative, some standard-essential patent (SEP) holders have committed to offering WIPO Mediation before moving toward litigation in licensing disputes involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that manufacture or sell IoT devices (IoT SMEs). Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Sisvel are the first SEP holders to sign this Pledge.

This marks the first time that some SEP holders have pledged to prioritize mediation over court proceedings, making SEP dispute resolution more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective for IoT SMEs. Under the Pledge, a mediation offer made by an SEP holder will be submitted to the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center pursuant to Article 4 of the WIPO Mediation Rules, and IoT SMEs will be given 30 days to consider and accept the offer. In such WIPO mediation cases involving IoT SMEs, SEP holders will bear two-thirds of the mediator's fees and case management fees under the WIPO mediation fee schedule.

In recent years, an increasing number of innovators and businesses have turned to the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center to resolve SEP/FRAND licensing issues through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedures, including more than 85 WIPO SEP mediation cases.

(Source: WIPO China)