5G and SEPs on Appeal: Insights from the FTC-Qualcomm Oral Argument

On February 13, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear oral argument in FTC’s highly publicized case against Qualcomm. The appeal stems from an expansive district court ruling that found that Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices violated U.S. antitrust law. As part of its decision, the district court ordered Qualcomm to renegotiate license terms with its customers and, even more controversially, license its cellular chip technology to its rivals. The appeal grapples with several unresolved issues that lie at the intersection of patent law and antitrust law, and the Ninth Circuit’s decision promises to impact the licensing of standard essential patents going forward, most notably as 5G technology is being deployed.

Please join Goodwin Procter’s antitrust and patent law experts the day after the Ninth Circuit argument for a one hour webinar. The webinar will dissect the proceedings before the Ninth Circuit, including the highly anticipated showdown between the FTC and the Department of Justice, which has publicly opposed FTC’s case against Qualcomm and has asked to argue against FTC at the hearing.  The webinar will also discuss how the Ninth Circuit’s decision may affect antitrust doctrine and standard-essential licensing practices. Understanding these issues will be critical for companies using 5G, which is poised to become the standard for network connectivity across a broad range of industries.

Goodwin's Elaine Blais, Natasha Daughtrey, Robby Frederickson and Chris Holding will be featured speakers.

To register, click here.