Compulsory Licenses for Essential Patents - Emerging Need in the ICT Sector -

Compulsory licenses have long been a target of hate for developed countries. The issue of compulsory licenses often provoked heated arguments in bilateral negotiations as well as multilateral negotiations for international trade. In the era of open innovation, however, circumstances around compulsory licenses have changed significantly. In technologies in which a large number of relevant patents exist, some patent holders enforce their patents for money. In such field of technologies, the compulsory license maywork as an interface between patents and standards. This paper analyses the changes of circumstances around the compulsory license and discusses its availability for the essential patents in the modern ICT sector.