FSA Welcomes UKIPO consultation into Standard Essential Patent Licensing Practices

Brussels, 15 July 2025 – The Fair Standards Alliance (FSA) welcomes the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)’s recent decision, alongside the UK Government, to launch a formal consultation on licensing practices surrounding standard essential patents (SEPs).

This initiative is a timely and necessary response to the evident frictions and persistent challenges that innovative companies, like FSA members, face in navigating SEP licensing frameworks. The current landscape presents barriers to fair and efficient business operations for innovative companies using standardised technologies such as WiFi and 5G, hindering innovation and market growth.

The consultation signals an awareness of the need for reform, one that the FSA hopes this will result in practical, targeted improvements grounded in principles of increased transparency and predictability.

The FSA also hopes this initiative sends a strong signal to the European Commission that the challenges with SEP licensing remain unresolved and continue to adversely affect many market participants. The UKIPO’s consultation underscores the urgency of advancing a regulatory solution in Europe.