Paving The ‘FRAND' Way Ahead For SEP Licensing

When the IPhone 7 was unveiled and Apple confirmed that the headphone jack, an undying invention since the 19^th century, wouldn't be a feature anymore, the whole world went berserk. In the absence of a headphone jack, users were forced to use lightning or Bluetooth headphones which were 10x costlier than the traditional headphones which featured the 3.5mm connector. Apple then found a way around the headphone jack by introducing extensions that would fit onto the phone's wired charger. However, it won't be long before the need for standardization will catch up and topple Apple's 'exclusive accessories' empire. In a recent Reuters report¹, the European Union regulators are all set to push for a common mobile phone charger; due to retarded progress on the companies' front in achieving the same voluntarily, as was promised. In this context, the 'USB-C' or 'C-type' charger is emerging as a clear winner in the era of standardization for interoperability.