European Union: European Commission withdrew the proposal for regulation on standard essential patents and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 (COM(2023)232)

On 11 February 2025, the European Commission stated in its 2025 work programme that it has withdrawn the EU framework for standard-essential patents (SEP). The regulation would have impacted the regulation of standard-essential patents (SEP), which are the patents protecting technology considered essential to a standard. In particular, the proposal aimed to make the system for licensing SEPs more transparent, predictable and efficient by renewing the licensing framework and finding a balance between promoting innovation, protecting intellectual property rights and not blocking companies’ access to patents. The Commission withdrew the proposal due to a lack of agreement and will assess other solutions.