Operations

Unified seeking additional IEEE, MPEG, and 3GPP training sets

Unified Patents is seeking to license and supplement existing training sets of patents found essential and nonessential to 3GPP (5G, LTE, V2X); IEEE / 802.11 / WiFi; and Video Codecs ( VVC / H.266 and AV1). The patents and applications should be reviewed by experts and mapped against the technical specifications. This would be a joint effort and collaboration to understand fundamental technologies and their corresponding patent landscape. If you are interested in participating please contact info@unifiedpatents.com

Please include in any communications:

1. Technology covered, including specification number and whether user equipment or infrastructure

2. A sample of the results

3. Number of patents covered which were found to be essential and the number which were not

4. Study Methodology

Webinar Materials - Fintiv Denials in Light of ITC Cases

Speakers:

Michelle Aspen — Senior Patent Counsel, Unified Patents

Sam Korte — Assistant General Counsel, Garmin

Jonathan Strang — Partner, Latham & Watkins

For this webinar, our panel addressed Fintiv denials in light of PTAB proceedings. The panelists presented several case studies and discussed the current policy applied by the PTAB. A few strategies on how to reduce the risk of denial were also included in the presentation.

Many thanks to Michelle, Sam, and Jon for a great discussion!

To listen to the recorded webinar, click here: https://vimeo.com/592877758

The slide presentation from this webinar can be seen below.

Our next webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 30th. Stay tuned for our topic announcement! Visit our website for more information.

World's First Search Engine for Ex Parte Reexaminations

New Portal Product and Features:

Ex Parte Reexaminations

Unified Patents’ Portal launches the world’s first search engine for Ex Parte Reexaminations. Users now can find up-to-date information on any given case, and search by case by number, patent number, or by party. Ex Parte Reexaminations are another way to challenge patents at the USPTO and traditionally have required users to know the patent involved and search through the prosecution history to see the filings. Until the introduction of the PTAB they were the most popular way to challenge bad patents.

Now, all challenges going back 15+ years are available and searchable. In addition, users can see outcomes (when possible) and find out who challenged which patent. Combined with Unified’s PTAB Tool, Unified is the only provider to enable users to comprehensively view every patent challenge in the US.

Portal displays all Ex Parte Reexaminations for users to understand the significance and how this type of filing is being utilized. This would include searching by case number, patent number, patent owner, and requester.

Users are also able to view high-level analytics, including outcome, top parties, and filings by year.

Portal also allows users to view the docket of any given case and retrieve up-to-date information at any given time.


Copyright © 2021, Unified Patents, LLC. All rights reserved.

Webinar Materials - Truly Inventive: Improving the Quality of Issued Patents

Speakers:

Jonathan Stroud — Chief IP Counsel, Unified Patents

Joe Matal Partner in Intellectual Department, Haynes and Boone, LLP

In our latest webinar, Unified's Chief IP Counsel, Jonathan Stroud, was joined by Joseph Matal, Partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP, to discuss reform proposals for improving the quality of issued U.S. patents.

To listen to the recorded webinar, click here: https://vimeo.com/580879697

The slide presentation from this webinar can be seen below.

Our next webinar, Fintiv Denials in Light of ITC Cases, is scheduled for Thursday, August 26th. Visit our website for topic details and more information.

VVC royalty report by Charles River Assoc. estimates lower rates due to AV1 adoption

Unified is pleased to announce the release of a new economic royalty rate report estimating the aggregate royalty burden for all standard-essential patents (SEPs) covering the video codec standard H.266, also called Versatile Video Coding (VVC). The report is a part of Unified’s Video Codec Zone, the goal of which is to provide objective, independent evidence of reasonable royalty rates, thus refuting unsubstantiated SEP licensing demands. 

VVC (H.266) constitutes the latest installment in a series of video codec standards released by the ITU and ISO/IEC and is regarded as the direct successor to HEVC (also H.265).

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The fragmented licensing landscape for HEVC with three different patent pools has resulted in a significant degree of uncertainty about HEVC’s licensing terms and very high aggregate royalties. The issues revolving around its licensing have not only significantly hampered HEVC’s adoption but also likely have further boosted the significant momentum around royalty free video codecs like AV1. Against this background, the future uptake of VVC will strongly depend on whether the VVC SEP holders will be able to set clear and transparent licensing terms and royalties that are not excessive, but FRAND. VVC’s estimated FRAND royalty rates range from $0.05 for cellular devices to $0.17 for streaming devices.

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In addition, AV1, often considered equivalent to HEVC, is already being implemented in many recent TVs. As adoption of alternative codecs increases, the value of VVC decreases. In this case, AV1 adoption lowers the cellular FRAND rate of VVC 40% to $0.03.

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Read the executive summary below. Members of Unified's Video Codec Zone receive a full copy of this economic report. Email info@unifiedpatents.com for more info.