Tesla (TSLA, Financials), the electric vehicle and energy business, won an appeal to revive a London case against InterDigital and intellectual licensing platform Avanci.
Tesla brought the lawsuit in 2023 to try and have the High Court rule on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing terms for 5G patents before it was due to roll out linked vehicles in Britain.
While a different attempt to cancel three InterDigital patents was permitted to move forward, the High Court turned down Tesla's application for a licence decision in 2024.
Tesla appealed to the UK Supreme Court after losing at the Court of Appeal. The court found that membership in a patent pool or licensing platform does not relieve patent owners of their need to issue licenses on reasonable terms.
The ruling takes the fight back to the High Court where Tesla can continue to pursue terms set by the court. The decision could impact how automakers negotiate access to communications patents used in connected vehicles.
Avanci said it was disappointed by the verdict and still believed Tesla's claims had no basis. Investors will be watching the High Court case, as well as any license fees from Tesla's planned 5G deployment of vehicles in Britain.