Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department had discussions with its counterparts in the EU on the impact of standard essential patents on the economies of the (a) UK and (b) EU in the period between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2023; and if she will make a statement.

The Government believes that Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) will be of growing importance to the UK economy.

In August 2022, the Government published a Summary of Responses relating to its call for views on SEPs and innovation, and more recently in July 2023 the Intellectual Property Office published findings following a questionnaire aimed at SMEs relating to their experiences around licensing of SEPs. During the Government’s ongoing policy development, it has engaged with relevant industry and international partners, including the EU, and will continue to do so on areas of mutual interest.