Over the course of the past year, there have been two notable decisions issued by the Federal Circuit and the International Trade Commission that impact the scope and nature of the remedies available for the infringement of standard-essential patents (SEPs), and as a result, continue to shape the incentives of technology innovators to contribute their patented inventions to standards-setting bodies.

On December 3, 2015, the Federal Circuit issued its much-awaited decision in Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) v. Cisco Systems, Inc., providing meaningful guidance on a number of open questions pertaining to the calculation of damages for the infringement of SEPs. In Certain Industrial Control System Software, Systems Using Same, and Components Thereof, Inv. No. 337-TA-1020 (the 1020 Investigation), the Commission was asked to invoke the Early Disposition Pilot Program to direct the presiding Administrative Law Judge to determine whether the asserted patents are standard-essential and therefore subject to mandatory licensing obligations.

Originally published in Massachusetts Lawyers Journal on February 2, 2017.