US technology company InterDigital and a patent licensing platform secured a victory on Monday, succeeding in their attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Tesla in London. Tesla was aiming to secure a patent license prior to the introduction of its 5G-enabled vehicles in the UK.
Elon Musk's firm initiated legal proceedings against InterDigital and Avanci, a platform that licenses patents predominantly for automotive applications, at the High Court in 2023. Tesla sought a court determination of the fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) conditions for utilizing patents held by various entities, including InterDigital and managed by Avanci.
In court documents submitted for a May hearing, Tesla's legal team indicated that the company was on the verge of launching 5G vehicles in the UK. However, InterDigital and Avanci sought to invalidate Tesla's request for a FRAND ruling on the licensing terms. The High Court sided with the defendants, with Judge Timothy Fancourt stating in his written decision that Tesla's application for a license should be rejected, although Tesla's claim to nullify three of InterDigital's patents will proceed.
