CPA Deputy General Manager Invited to Join Expert Discussion in SEP Seminar

On 2 April 2024, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Mediation Center (CCPIT Mediation Center) held a seminar in Beijing on the theme of "Standard Essential Patent (SEP): Practice and Hot Issues". CCPIT Mediation Center IP committee chairman Mr. Ma Hao and three guests from the mediation center's panel of mediators, namely, Mr. Xiong Yanfeng, deputy general manager of our firm China Patent Agent (H.K.) Ltd. (CPA); Dr. Zhang Guangliang, professor of law at Renmin University of China Law School; and Ms. Lili Wu, partner of Han Kun Law Offices, were invited to the seminar to share their SEP-related experience in practice and insights about SEP issues, as regards the handling of SEP disputes in particular.

During the seminar, a lecture was given by Ms. Lili Wu detailing the basics of SEP practice including the calculation of licensing fees, multilateral SEP licensing negotiation, and domestic and international trends in SEP dispute resolution. The lecture was followed by a discussion session during which Mr. Ma, Mr. Xiong, Professor Zhang, and Ms. Wu delved into a wide spectrum of SEP-related issues, among them commercial substance in SEP disputes, causes of action of SEP disputes, and the establishment of a competence center in SEP regulation of the European Union. The guests also exchanged views on the role of mediation in SEP dispute resolution, and they all agree that mediation, as a friendly alternative to litigation, is more in line with the nature of SEP disputes, which relate mainly to distribution of commercial interests.

As introduced in the opening remarks by Ms. Cai Chenfeng, director of the CCPIT Commercial Legal Service Center and executive vice chairman of CCPIT Mediation Center, CCPIT Mediation Center was established in 1987 and has over three decades' expertise in mediation of IP disputes, now housing 70-plus leading professionals of the field. The CCPIT Mediation Center can assist the parties concerned in establishing communication channels and advancing the negotiation process toward a settlement.

The seminar was attended by over 30 representatives from domestic and foreign corporations and research institutes including Siemens (China), InterDigital Communications Corporation of the US, China Information and Communication Technologies Group Corporation, China National Petroleum Corporation, Huawei Technologies, BOE, China Intellectual Property Society, China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group, and Li Auto. The representatives also took part in the exchanges and shared views with the experts during the discussion session.