Edinburgh Napier University

  The research project, titled 'Optimal Policies in ICT Standardization' (OPICTS), aims at strengthening the intellectual property (IP) policies to be implemented in the context of standard development organizations (SDOs), and further explores the IP and competition law tension arising therein - with a specific focus on the role of standard essential patents (SEPs) in information and communication technology (ICT) industries.

The proposed action, in particular, intends to respond to the legal challenges posed by the rapid advancement of science and technology, which increasingly rely on the implementation of complex ICT standards. A seismic technological shift has indeed affected the information and communication technology sector, which heavily depends on efficient standardization. The recent regulatory interventions at EU/UK levels still highlight the existence of tensions in this context between innovators and implementers, and the urgent need of substantial changes.

In order to prevent severe disruption to the ICT industry (and consequently to the connected Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence fields), the action aims at supporting the standard setting community in shaping for the better the SDOs legal framework and in effectively streamlining efficient and sustainable standardization activities, to the benefit of the society as a whole and of innovation-driven welfare.