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Court of Appeal (England and Wales) clarifies FRAND confidentiality: balancing test for redactions, protection of derived financial data, and third‑party slip‑rule corrections in InterDigital v Optis

Published on: 13 November 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Information Law expert
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What are the practical implications of this case?

InterDigital Inc and other companies v Optis Cellular Technology LLC and others [2025] EWCA Civ 1263 delivers clear direction for those engaged in patent litigation, extending to third parties with a stake in confidential material at issue. Notably, it was the non-parties—rather than Apple and Optis—who sought permission to appeal the High Court decision. The court’s acknowledgement of third-party rights may prompt greater participation by non-party stakeholders where disputes turn on third party licences. By backing a single approach to redactions and outlining how factual mistakes can be corrected, the court has sharpened understanding of the treatment of confidential information in UK proceedings. Even so, the judgment stresses that any departure from open justice must be exceptional and justified by compelling reasons, so applicants must articulate and justify their proposals. Citing his reasoning in Unwired Planet v Huawei [2020] UKSC 37, Lord Justice Birss underscored that broad, indeterminate assertions about shielding a company’s ‘interests’ will not succeed...

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