Striking the Right Balance between the Benefits of Transparency and the Need for Confidentiality in Licensing

Dr. Claudia Tapia, LL.M.

A Digital Single Market is expected to contribute EUR 415 billion per year to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in Europe. However, concerns have been raised as to whether existing licensing models in standardization are still efficient in the Internet of Things (IoT). In the context of the IoT, where billions of devices will be interconnected, and new sectors will incorporate cellular standardized technology to enhance their products and services, it is crucial to offer a fair and transparent licensing system. Similarly, it is indispensable to protect confidentiality in licensing negotiations, so that licensees and licensors can share confidential information (like future product plans, forecasted sales etc.) to negotiate terms that best accommodate their needs and are Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory as well.

The lecture will discuss the challenge to combine both aspects and how courts around the world have dealt with this situation.

Dr. Claudia Tapia is Director IPR Policy and Legal Academic Research at Ericsson. Claudia's main responsibility is related to strategy, policy and research in the IP field. Prior to joining Ericsson, Claudia was Director IP Policy in the department Patent & Standards Strategy at BlackBerry. While at BlackBerry, she focused on various aspects of intellectual property, including intellectual property rights policies in standards, global patent policies, as well as licensing and litigation. Claudia holds a law degree from the University of Valencia, an LLM degree specializing in International Patent Law from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich and a PhD degree (summa cum laude) from the Faculty of Law in Augsburg.

She is president of 4iP Council and vice chair of the IP Policy Group in TechUK. Originally from Argentina, but brought up in Spain and residing in Germany, she is truly a global citizen, and speaks English, Spanish and German.