15/05/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 13 May, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) sent a letter to the EU Member States calling for work to resume on the Standards Essential Patents (SEPs) Regulation. ACEA supports the European Parliament’s request, which also rejected the Commission’s potential abandonment of the text (see EUROPE 13626/4). The SEP Regulation, proposed by the European Commission in 2023 (see EUROPE 13171/1), aims to provide a more transparent framework for the deposit and sale of SEPs. According to ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries, the automotive sector is suffering because SEP holders refuse to provide licences to automotive suppliers, and only grant them to manufacturers, with the sole aim of obtaining higher exploitation rights. (LM)