UK scales back SEP reform after pushback, explores advisory alternatives
By Melissa Ritti ( October 13, 2026, 10:28 GMT | Insight) -- Following objections from major patent holders and smaller technology firms alike, the UK government is taking a lighter touch to standard-essential patent reform, focusing instead on licensing guidance, voluntary disclosures and other "targeted interventions." “Access and reward are not competing ambitions,” UK Intellectual Property Office CEO Adam Williams told reporters. “A well-functioning system depends on both.”The UK won’t pursue a standalone judicial track for setting standard-essential patent (SEP) license rates, create new restrictions on SEP injunctions or require SEP owners to disclose which of their patents relate to technical standards....
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