On 3 February, WIPO marked an important milestone with the launch of verified standard essential patent (SEP) information in PATENTSCOPE, its global patent database.
The launch event brought together stakeholders from across the SEP ecosystem and underscored WIPO’s role as a neutral forum for dialogue, transparency, and cooperation.
This new capability responds to a growing need for clearer and more reliable SEP information as standards and connected technologies continue to evolve rapidly. By improving access to both declared and verified SEP data, PATENTSCOPE further supports informed decision-making, helps reduce uncertainty, and contributes to fair and efficient licensing environments.
Launch event highlights
The event opened with remarks from Luigi Maria Vignali, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, and Lisa Jorgensen, Deputy Director General for Patents and Technology at WIPO, who highlighted the importance of sustained collaboration across the global SEP community.
A panel discussion featuring WIPO experts and representatives from Sisvel, the first patent pool administrator to join this voluntary industry collaboration initiative, included a live demonstration of the new verified SEP search functionality in PATENTSCOPE.
The enhancement builds on the declared SEP search feature introduced last year and now enables users to access verified essentiality data provided by patent pool administrators, allowing for a clearer distinction between declared and verified SEPs within a trusted WIPO platform.
During the event, WIPO shared early indicators of scale and coverage. PATENTSCOPE currently includes over 200,000 distinct patents or applications that are declared or verified as essential, representing around 700,000 patent-to-standard relationships across more than 40 jurisdictions.
This milestone is grounded in the WIPO Strategy on Standard Essential Patents, which positions WIPO as a source of reliable information and a facilitator of collaboration across the SEP landscape. WIPO is committed to continuing its engagement with stakeholders to expand verified data sources and strengthen tools that support the global SEP community.
Declared vs verified SEPs
Understanding the distinction between declared and verified SEPs is essential for navigating the SEP landscape with greater confidence.
Declared SEPs are patents that patent holders have declared as potentially essential to a technical standard. These declarations are made by the patent holder and do not involve an independent assessment of essentiality.
Verified SEPs are patents that have undergone an essentiality assessment Verified SEPs are patents that have undergone an essentiality assessment based on a patent pool process, which is conducted by independent private experts on behalf of a patent pool administrator. Verified data provides users with an additional layer of confidence when navigating SEP information.
By bringing both types of information together in PATENTSCOPE, and clearly differentiating between them, WIPO helps users better assess the relevance and reliability of SEP data when searching for patents linked to technical standards.
Upcoming PATENTSCOPE webinars
To help users make the most of the new verified SEP search functionality, WIPO is hosting short demonstration webinars offering:
- An overview of verified SEP searches in PATENTSCOPE and how to use them
- A refresher on the declared SEP search feature introduced last year
- Live Q&A on PATENTSCOPE and SEPs
The webinar is suitable to new and experienced PATENTSCOPE users. Both sessions cover the same content.
Session details:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 from 5.30 to 6.15pm CET
Thursday, February 11, 2026 from 8.30 to 9.15 am CET
Questions or comments?
We’d love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to contact us.