Brazil appeals court holds pool licence offer meets FRAND obligation in Panasonic v HMD

The Rio de Janeiro Court of Appeals has upheld a preliminary injunction against HMD in an Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) SEP case filed by Panasonic. In doing so, the Brazilian appellate court held, for the first time, that a licensor meets its FRAND obligation by offering an implementer only a pool licence.
The appeals court also called out HMD for its “uncooperative” and “delaying” conduct during the proceedings.
As such, the ruling enriches Brazil’s FRAND case law as the country grows in popularity as a venue for SEP licensing disputes. It is also a setback for HMD, which is on the receiving end of various SEP lawsuits around the world.
Read more at: IAM