#frand

#frand

The Federal Circuit has dismissed an appeal by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) seeking to unseal summary judgment briefing in a patent dispute involving standard-essential patents for cable modem technology. Entropic Communications, LLC v. Charter Communications, Inc., No. 24-1896 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 17, 2025) (nonprecedential). The CAFed held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying EFF's motion for permissive intervention as untimely under Fifth Circuit law.

A critical component of this system is the licensing of standard-essential patents (SEPs) under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. 5G technology alone is projected to contribute approximately $13 trillion to the global economy. Realizing this value and ensuring continued investment into future standards requires an environment in which innovators can expect to recover their R&D expenditures and earn a risk-adjusted return.