SEPs, FRAND and the geopolitics of innovation: Brazilian legal‑institutional bottlenecks and a development‑oriented framework proposal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18256/2238-0604.2026.v22i.5331Keywords:
essential standards patents (SEPs); FRAND licensing; geopolitics of innovation; Global South; legal-institutional arrangements.Abstract
Considering the growing centrality of standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND commitments in the geopolitics of innovation, this article examines, in a systematic and integrated manner, the main legal and institutional challenges faced by Brazil in the governance of this regime. Building on law-and-economics foundations, the study identifies key bottlenecks in the Brazilian normative and institutional framework, with particular emphasis on the interfaces between intellectual property law, competition law and sectoral regulation. From a comparative perspective, the analysis contrasts the Brazilian experience with foreign institutional arrangements, not with the aim of promoting uncritical legal transplants, but rather to derive normative benchmarks and coordination mechanisms capable of mitigating uncertainty and reducing transaction costs. Based on this diagnostic, the article puts forward a proposal for a Brazilian legal-institutional architecture designed to strengthen the State’s regulatory capacity, enhance the country’s strategic insertion into technology-intensive global value chains and consolidate a more assertive Brazilian role within the Global South.
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