Dear Reader,
If you thought Munich Regional Court had already said everything worth saying about FRAND, think again. The 7th Civil Chamber has published a detailed set of guidelines dated 13 August 2026, distilling its ASUS I, ASUS II, Renault and ZTE v Samsung rulings into a structured playbook - complete with standardised device prices, a two-stage willingness test, a five-year cap on comparable licences, and, most eyebrow-raising of all, a presumed 15% discount for Chinese patent portfolios. The judges also take a swipe at the European Commission's amicus curiae brief in VoiceAge v HMD, criticising Brussels for its one-sided focus on consumer interests.
Meanwhile, the mRNA wars are heating up again. Fresh from their $2.25 billion settlement with Moderna, Arbutus and Genevant have taken their fight against Pfizer and BioNTech global, filing two new claims at the UPC's local division in The Hague and seeking long-arm relief reaching into Poland and Spain. The Dutch local division is fast becoming the go-to forum for biotech disputes - and the counsel line-ups reveal telling gaps, with Vossius conflicted to advise Arbutus and Powell Gilbert notably absent on BioNTech’s side this time. And there is more to come when the same court hears its first mRNA case in GSK against Moderna, BioNTech and Pfizer in the first week of September.
Over in London, Novartis has successfully defended its SPC on heart-failure blockbuster Entresto, with Justice Meade rejecting Accord's obviousness, plausibility and SPC-specific attacks - mirroring the Dutch Court of Appeal's earlier ruling against Synthon.
Enjoy this week's read,
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