FRAND DEVELOPMENTS IN INDIA

In India, the consumer electronics market has exploded in the last two decades, particularly in the telecoms sector. The government has paid special attention to this sector in order to expand its e-governance programmes in rural areas and connect communities for direct benefit programmes, as well as to provide health, education, financial, and information services. Because the consumer electronics industry, particularly telecoms equipment and mobile devices, requires interoperability, there is an increasing demand for technology standardisation. This enables numerous manufacturers to enter the market with compatible products, boosting fair competition. In addition, problems arising from the adoption of standards in consumer electronic products were commonplace in the business. The Competition Commission of India has received several cases involving standard essential patents (SEPs) and fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) promises (CCI). These cases involve well-known technological businesses that received SEPs for their telecommunications-related innovations.