The most hotly debated issue at this year's GCR IP & Antitrust Conference, held on April 14 in Washington, DC, was the DOJ's guidance issued in a February business review letter to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The business review letter says that the DOJ does not intend to challenge proposed changes to the IEEE Standards Association's patent policy aimed at encouraging licensing of standard-essential patents on reasonable and nondiscriminatory (RAND) terms. This alert summarizes the discussions, the DOJ's defense of its business review letter, and the implications for the high-tech industry.
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