Apple Reiterates Commitment to FRAND Licensing of Standards-Essential Patents Following Intel Deal

In light of its acquisition of the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business earlier this year, including many cellular patents, Apple has shared a letter on its website to reiterate its stance on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory or FRAND licensing terms for standards-essential patents.

Intel 5G Modem
Apple says it values intellectual property and recognizes the important role of developing industry standards, noting that its engineers participate in over 100 standard-setting organizations. Apple touts its own contributions to a wide range of standards, including, for example, cellular, Wi-Fi, and USB-C.

Apple adds that it has "long sought to bring a balanced perspective to the promises and perils of standardization" and is committed to licensing its own cellular standards-essential patents on FRAND terms.

Apple believes owners of standards-essential patents should make licenses available on FRAND terms to any and all interested parties that request a license, adding that standards-essential patent licensees should not be forced to take bundled or portfolio licenses as part of an agreement.

There should also be an objective, reasonable royalty rate that applies equally to all standards-essential licensees, according to Apple.

Following its agreement with Intel, Apple said it would hold over 17,000 wireless technology patents, ranging from protocols for cellular standards to modem architecture and modem operation. Apple is widely expected to release its first 5G-enabled iPhones with Qualcomm modems in 2020.

Tag: Intel

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

CarlJ Avatar
74 months ago
Companies love to make these self-righteous (Public Relations) statements about technologies being part of an "open standard". Feel good phrases like "reasonable royalty rates" ... yea right :rolleyes:
Permanently-angry forum members on MacRumors love to make these self-righteous posts about every little thing Apple does (after going out of their way to visit a site dedicated to announcing every little thing that Apple does) :rolleyes:. FRAND is a thing, it helps make our modern communications networks possible, Apple is part of it, "reasonable royalty rates" is wording commonly associated with FRAND. Nothing to see here, and noting to get all eye-rolly about.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
74 months ago

If Apple isn't actively using all the patents, does that make them "patent trolls" ?
Only if they begin suing other companies indiscriminately.

Acquiring Intel's patents was a smart move on Apple's part, a nice ace up their sleeve now that they have to work exclusively with Qualcomm.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calzon65 Avatar
74 months ago
Companies love to make these self-righteous (Public Relations) statements about technologies being part of an "open standard". Feel good phrases like "reasonable royalty rates" ... yea right :rolleyes:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MikhailT Avatar
74 months ago

If Apple isn't actively using all the patents, does that make them "patent trolls" ?
As long they're not standard-dependent and if they are, then as long as they can be licensed to anyone and on FRAND basis; they're not patent trolls (yet). The problem is, FRAND is voluntary.

Pretty much all companies have excess stock of patents that they don't use, they're not called patent trolls because of that.

Patent trolls are the ones that has the clear intentions to buying patents (or a specific patent that they know a specific company need) in order to profit off them by "suing" companies for not paying a specific amount that is not FRAND or reasonable.

As for software patents, they're a joke and never should've been patentable in the first place.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rigby Avatar
74 months ago

As long they're not standard-dependent and if they are, then as long as they can be licensed to anyone and on FRAND basis; they're not patent trolls (yet). The problem is, FRAND is voluntary.
Not really. When joining standardization bodies such as 3GPP, companies commit to disclosing standards-essential patents and making them available under FRAND terms.
Pretty much all companies have excess stock of patents that they don't use, they're not called patent trolls because of that.
Yep. The number of patents a company holds, whether they are actually used or not, is often an important factor in negotiating cross-licensing agreements and settlement terms in patent litigations. The Intel patents strengthen Apple's position versus other major patent holders such as Qualcomm and Samsung (some of which are very litigation-happy).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
74 months ago

As long they're not standard-dependent and if they are, then as long as they can be licensed to anyone and on FRAND basis; they're not patent trolls (yet). The problem is, FRAND is voluntary.

Pretty much all companies have excess stock of patents that they don't use, they're not called patent trolls because of that.

Patent trolls are the ones that has the clear intentions to buying patents (or a specific patent that they know a specific company need) in order to profit off them by "suing" companies for not paying a specific amount that is not FRAND or reasonable.

As for software patents, they're a joke and never should've been patentable in the first place.
There is nothing, legally or morally, wrong with being a patent troll. It has the stigma because of the name, troll. The original inventor sold the patent. The new owner can do whatever they want.

Or do you think the original creator can sell it and still use it? Like Taylor Swift selling her songs and then complaining that she can sing them anymore.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)