Patent Pool Analysis of SEPs
Patent pool analysis of SEPs examines the patents that companies have declared to a licensing pool. Major pools, such as SISVEL, VIA, AVANCI and Access Advance, publish lists of the patents declared to their programs. Those published lists are monitored, and the analysis is customized to the question being asked.
Who it's for: SEP holders considering whether to join a pool, implementers assessing a pool licence, and portfolio teams that need to know which patents a given program covers at a given time.
How the analysis works
Many SEP holders participate in patent pools through various programs, and the larger pools publish what they've accepted.
- Published lists are monitored from major pools — SISVEL, VIA, AVANCI and Access Advance — as they're released.
- The analysis is customized, shaped by the question being asked rather than a fixed report.
- Common requests include a named company's patents in a pool, program size and composition, or movement between publications.
- The scope is agreed first, then the analysis is built from the published lists.
Pool analysis vs. SSO declaration monitoring
The two look at different disclosures, and a patent can appear in one and not the other.
SSO declarations
Made by patent owners to bodies such as ETSI, ITU-T and IEEE, covering patents the owner believes may be essential.
Pool lists
Published by the licensing program itself, covering patents accepted into that program. Many portfolio questions need both sources read together.
What a customized analysis can cover
The scope is agreed first, and the analysis is then built from the published lists.
One program
A named company's patents in a single pool, or the size and composition of that program.
Across programs
Movement in and out of a list between publications, or how one program compares with another for the same technology.
What you receive
- Monitoring of the patent lists published by major pools, including SISVEL, VIA, AVANCI and Access Advance
- A customized analysis of the patents declared to a pool, scoped to your question
- A written report of the findings, with the underlying patent list
- A call to walk through the results and next steps
Frequently asked questions
What is patent pool analysis of SEPs?
It's the study of the patents that holders have declared to a licensing pool. Pools run programs for particular standards or products, and the larger pools publish the lists of patents declared to each program. Analysis of those lists shows what a program actually contains, who contributed it, and how that changes over time. The analysis here is customized rather than a fixed report.
Which patent pools are covered?
The major pools that publish patent lists are covered, including SISVEL, VIA, AVANCI and Access Advance. These programs disclose the patents declared to them, which makes the contents open to independent review. Reports from all such pools are monitored, so the analysis can be built around one program or compared across several. If a pool does not publish a list, its contents cannot be analysed in the same way.
How does pool analysis differ from monitoring declarations to SSOs?
The two look at different disclosures. Declarations to standards setting organizations are made by patent owners to bodies such as ETSI, ITU-T and IEEE, and cover patents the owner believes may be essential. Pool lists are published by the licensing program and cover patents accepted into that program. A patent can appear in one and not the other. Many portfolio questions need both sources read together.
What can a customized analysis cover?
A customized analysis is shaped by the question being asked. Common requests include the patents a named company has placed in a pool, the size and composition of a program, movement in and out of a list between publications, and how one program compares with another for the same technology. The scope is agreed first, and the analysis is then built from the published lists.
Start a pool analysis
Tell us the pool and the question you need answered, and we'll scope the analysis.
