Gear up for car patent wars

Andrew White says thatautomotive patent battles are heating up in light of the Nokia dispute

Andrew White, Mathys & Squire

The automotive standardsessential patents (SEPs) wars are heating up. The decision of the Mannheim regional court in Germany, which wasannounced on 18 August 2020, secured a win for Nokia against the Mercedescarmaker Daimler, but many questions still remain. In particular, it is stillnot clear whether Tier 1 suppliers are required to be the licencees of anyrelevant SEPs or whether it is the carmakers themselves.