Context: Panasonic is a licensor in the Via Licensing Alliance pool for AAC, the audio compression standard used in the large majority of smartphones sold today. HMD, the Finnish company behind Nokia-branded phones, does not hold a pool license and has generally chosen to fight standard-essential patent (SEP) claims in Brazilian courts rather than settle. A Rio de Janeiro trial court granted Panasonic a preliminary injunction (PI) against HMD Global Oy and Grupo Multi SA in April, over an AAC patent and finding that Panasonic's licensing offer through the Via Licensing Alliance pool satisfied its fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing obligation (April 17, 2026 ip fray article). HMD and Multi appealed that decision to the Rio de Janeiro Court of Appeals.
Court and counsel
First instance: 6th Business Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Judge Victor Agustin Jaccoud Diz Torres (short form: Judge Victor Torres).
Appeal: 20th Chamber of Private Law, Rio de Janeiro Court of Appeals, Judge André Luiz Cidra (rapporteur).
Counsel for Panasonic: Licks Attorneys' (ip fray firm profile) Carlos Aboim, Gabriel Mathias, Youssef Yunes Borges Pires, Ana Carolina Marques da Cunha, and Paolo Maiolino; and Salomão Advogados' Luis Felipe Salomão Filho and Alice Moreira Studart da Fonseca; and Bellizze & Basilio Advogados' Marcelo Bellizze and Vinicius Basilio.
Counsel for HMD: RNA Law's Rob Rodrigues.