Industry Joint Statement Urging European Commission to Advance SEP Regulation

On 24 February 2025, Allied for Startups joined 63 other companies and trade associations from across Europe in signing a joint letter to the European Commission, expressing deep concern over its intention to withdraw the proposed Standard Essential Patents (SEP) Regulation.

This action followed the publication of the European Commission’s proposed legislative work programme on 11 February 2025, which listed the SEP Regulation among the legislative initiatives it plans to withdraw. We believe this would be a step backwards for Europe — undermining innovation, harming competitiveness, and weakening the EU’s strategic autonomy.

The SEP Regulation has broad and growing support across industry. It is a much-needed initiative to establish a transparent, fair, and predictable framework for licensing standardised technologies such as 5G and WiFi. For startups, scale-ups, and SMEs, such a framework is critical to reduce legal uncertainty, manage licensing costs, and ensure continued innovation and digital transformation across the continent.

We urge the European Commission and co-legislators to reconsider this decision and engage meaningfully with industry stakeholders. Now is the time to move forward — not backward — in building a SEP framework that works for all.