The European Commission’s (EC) proposed Standards Essential Patents (SEPs) shakeup has not gone down well. The intellectual property (IP) realm is rather insular, but for those whose livelihoods depend on predictable outcomes, any potential change is cause for concern. Specifically, the EC is proposing a new framework to regulate disputes, in cases that involve SEPs and Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) disputes. Given that companies under Wireless Watch’s remit have a habit of suing over such disagreements, it is worth examining the new framework and the reaction to it. In broad strokes, the EC is proposing creating a ‘competence center’ under the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which will evaluate and categorize a register of SEPs. These will be…