Roberto Dini – September 2025
A detailed critique of the decisions by Germany’s Bundeskartellamt and the European Commission to give the green light to the formation of an auto licensing negotiation group (ALNG) by BMW, Mercedes Benz Group, Thyssenkrupp and Volkswagen.
The policy of granting FRAND licences and allowing negotiations with LNGs cannot coexist in the market. FRAND licences were created to avoid discrimination, while the purpose of LNGs is to obtain a discounted royalty rate compared to licences granted to companies that are not in the LNG or the sector it covers.