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EU drawing up patent fee guidelines

May limit fees for technology, but may not be binding across region

The EU is drawing up guidelines on how much money patent holders can charge for the use of the patented technology. As an example, Qualcomm charges according to a patent fee model and has previously charged Apple a percentage of device sales for the use of Qualcomm chips.

Regulators will decide between a patent fee model, which charges based on how valuable the technology is to the final product, or a flat, fixed rate. Qualcomm’s model started an ongoing legal war between Qualcomm and Apple. The EU hopes to finalise guidelines by year’s end. The guidelines won’t be legally binding but could form the backbone of future laws.