On Monday (May 18, 2026), three chapters of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) co-hosted a hybrid UPC +3 YEARS event. We reported on the three afternoon sessions: the one on inventive step (May 19, 2026 ip fray article), the judges’ panel, and the fireside chat with UPC President Dr. Klaus Grabinski (May 18, 2026 ip fray article).
We have now heard from more than one German and one French source1 that particularly the article on the judges’ panel was criticized for attributing statements to particular persons, allegedly in contravention of the Chatham House rule (CHR).
I categorically reject any accusations of a CHR breach. Whoever makes that allegation engages, or has engaged, in defamatory misconduct.2
We respect the CHR when we are legally and/or morally bound by it. Anyway, we lose interest in an event the moment anyone utters “CHR”.3 We make an exception only for partner events, such as certain Via Licensing Alliance summits. ip fray attended Via’s Shanghai (2025) and Rome (2026) events, and strictly complied with the CHR.
LES Germany extended, as we explicitly requested, an online press pass to us. We specifically said we were interested in following the judges’ panel via the livestream. No one told us about the CHR:
- I never attended a LES event prior to that one.
- The CHR was not mentioned on the event website or in the event program we downloaded.
- In the communication that led to the issuance of a press pass, no one mentioned the CHR either.
- Allegedly, someone mentioned the CHR when the event started. I don’t even care whether that’s true. None of us was in Munich, and none of us watched the livestream until Anushka Sharma followed the panel on inventive step at 1:30 PM local time (which started 2.5 hours into the event). I then connected for the 5:15 PM and 4:50 PM sessions. I was following most of the time, but was out of the room for short periods at different times. The term CHR did not come up while I was online, and it is hard to imagine that it came up on the inventive step panel.
Therefore, we did not attend on CHR terms. If we had been informed and acknowledged, no question. If we had been informed and attended without explicitly acknowledging the rule, one could at least have a debate. But not on this basis.
Given that the CHR did not apply, our reporting is simply protected by the freedom of the press. I would not have anticipated that the chairman of the UPC’s Advisory Board would say the things he said as I don’t know him in the slightest, but after my report I was told that he is generally outspoken.
The issues were institutionally important, which warranted reporting. The UPC is standing at a crossroads where it has to decide whether it tolerates foreign interference. The UPC’s Mannheim LD deserves respect for how it is handling the situation — from everyone, not least the chair of the UPC’s Advisory Board, even if his firm is representing a client with an agenda that could seriously damage the UPC.
If you believe us, then you can stop reading here. We were being transparent about the intent to report. Should you still have doubts, here’s the entire correspondence:
Early last month I reached out to a person involved with the organization of the event via LinkedIn. Given that the name is redacted and the content is not sensitive in any way, I have decided to make it public for the purpose of addressing misconceptions:
Apr 2
Florian Mueller 6:02 PM
[ADDRESS REDACTED], die Diskussion mit Justice Meade am 18.5. wäre interesssant. 10 Tage später hört der UPC CoA Amazon v. InterDigital. Denken Sie, dafür kann ich einen Pressezugang (online) bekommen?Apr 3
[NAME REDACTED] sent the following message at 1:12 PM
Hallo Herr Müller,
Ich bespreche das gerne mit meinen Kollegen, denke aber dass nichts dagegen spricht. Ich melde mich gerne kommende Woche bei Ihnen.
LG
[NAME REDACTED]Florian Mueller 1:35 PM
Danke! Evtl. höre ich selbst zu, evtl. lasse ich es ein Teammitglied machen. Merve hat ihre master’s thesis an der University of East Anglia über fragmented SEP enforcement geschrieben und kennt sich auch mit long-arm aus.[NAME REDACTED} 6:10 PM
👍Apr 10
[NAME REDACTED] 9:43 AM
Gerne erhalten Sie einen PressezugangFlorian Mueller 9:43 AM
super danke!bin gerade in Videokonf aber freue mich dass es klappt
[NAME REDACTED] 9:44 AM
👍Florian Mueller 10:01 AM
wo soll ich per Mail schreiben, um den zu bekommen? oder könnten Sie meine Adresse [REDACTED]@ipfray.com weitergeben?
übrigens können wir uns von mir aus auch informell anreden, aber entscheiden Sie gerneApr 11
Natürlich sehr gerne die informelle Ansprache.
[reaction:👍]Die Email gebe ich weiter. Ein schönes Wochenende
[NAME REDACTED]Florian Mueller 9:38 AM
Danke gleichfalls,
Florian[NAME REDACTED] 9:40 AM
👍
English machine translation:
Apr 2
Florian Mueller 6:02 PM
[ADDRESS REDACTED], the discussion with Justice Meade on May 18th would be interesting. Ten days later, there is the UPC CoA hearing in Amazon v. InterDigital. Do you think I could get press access (online) for that?
Apr 3
[NAME REDACTED] sent the following message at 1:12 PM
Hello Mr. Müller,
I’d like to discuss this with my colleagues, but I don’t think there’s any reason not to. I’ll get back to you next week.
Best regards
[NAME REDACTED]
Florian Mueller 1:35 PM
Thanks! I might listen myself, or I might have a team member do it. Merve wrote her master’s thesis at the University of East Anglia on fragmented SEP enforcement and is also familiar with long-arm tactics.
[NAME REDACTED] 6:10 PM
👍
Apr 10
[NAME REDACTED] 9:43 AM
You’re welcome to request press access.Florian Mueller 9:43 AM
Great, thanks!I’m currently in a video conference, but I’m glad it’s working out.
[NAME REDACTED] 9:44 AM
👍Florian Mueller 10:01 AM
Where should I email to request it? Or could you please share my address [REDACTED]@ipfray.com?By the way, we can also address each other informally if you prefer, but it’s up to you.
Apr 11
Of course, I’d be happy with informal address.
[REACTION: ]I’ll forward the email. Have a nice weekend!
[NAME REDACTED]
Florian Mueller 9:38 AM
Thanks, you too,
Florian
[NAME REDACTED] 9:40 AM
👍
At 10:04 PM CEST4 on May 6, I received the following email from the secretariat of LES Germany:
Sehr geehrter Herr Mueller,
Vielen Dank für die Buchung unserer Veranstaltung UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mo, 18.05.2026, 11:00 Uhr bis 18:00 Uhr)
Details zur Veranstaltung:
18.05.2026 11:00
18.05.2026 18:00Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Sekretariat LES Geschäftsstelle
Machine translation:
Dear Mr. Mueller,
Thank you for booking our event UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mon, May 18, 2026, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
Event details:
May 18, 2026, 11:00 AM
May 18, 2026, 6:00 PM
Sincerely,
LES Office Secretariat
At 7:28 AM CEST the next day (May 7, 2026), I replied:
Vielen Dank. Nur um sicher zu gehen: ist der Zugang dann online möglich? Wir können niemanden hinschicken.
Machine translation:
Thank you very much. Just to be sure: is access possible online? We can’t send anyone.
At 2:31 PM CEST on May 8, 2026, I received the following email from the secretariat of LES Germany (same content as the one of May 6):
Sehr geehrter Herr Mueller,
Vielen Dank für die Buchung unserer Veranstaltung UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mo, 18.05.2026, 11:00 Uhr bis 18:00 Uhr)
Details zur Veranstaltung:
18.05.2026 11:00
18.05.2026 18:00Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Sekretariat LES Geschäftsstelle
Machine translation:
Dear Mr. Mueller,
Thank you for booking our event UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mon, May 18, 2026, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
Event details:
May 18, 2026, 11:00 AM
May 18, 2026, 6:00 PM
Sincerely,
LES Office Secretariat
One minute later (at 2:32 PM CEST on May 8, 2026), I received a reply to my previous message:
Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, wir haben ihr Ticket in online Teilnahme umgestellt.
Herzliche Grüße, [NAME OF SECRETARIAT STAFFER REDACTED]
Machine translation:
Dear Mr. Müller, we have converted your ticket to online participation.
Sincerely, [NAME OF SECRETARIAT STAFFER REDACTED]
At 3:01 PM CEST (still on May 8, 2026), I replied:
Hallo Frau [NAME OF SECRETARIAT STAFFER REDACTED],
vielen Dank!
Beste Grüße
Florian Müller
Machine translation:
Hello Ms. [NAME OF SECRETARIAT STAFFER REDACTED],
Thank you very much!
Best regards,
Florian Müller
At 6:54 PM on May 13, 2026, I received a bilingual confirmation email:
Sehr geehrter Herr Mueller,
vielen Dank für Ihre Anmeldung zur Online-Mitgliederversammlung der LES Deutsche Landesgruppe.
Hiermit bestätigen wir Ihnen den Eingang Ihrer Anmeldung mit folgenden Veranstaltungsdaten:UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mo, 18.05.2026, 11:00 Uhr bis 18:00 Uhr)
18.05.2026 11:00
18.05.2026 18:00
MünchenFür Rückfragen stehen wir Ihnen gerne zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,Mr.
Thank you for registering for the online general meeting of the LES Germany.
We hereby confirm receipt of your registration with the following event details:UPC + 3 Years – A VIEW ON EUROPEAN PATENT LITIGATION (Mo, 18.05.2026, 11:00 Uhr bis 18:00 Uhr)
18.05.2026 11:00
18.05.2026 18:00
MünchenPlease do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
LES Deutsche Landesgruppe e.V.
Geschäftsstelle
Theatinerstraße 7
80333 MünchenInternet: www.les-germany.org
Email: sekretariat@les-germany.orgSteuernr.: 143/218/80003
Vereinsregister Nr.: 9232
Amtsgericht München
The following ticket (PDF) was attached:
One minute later, I replied with “Vielen Dank!” (“Thanks a lot!”).
That is all. It was not an event where there was any reason to expect the CHR to apply. CHR is very unusual for online and hybrid events. The topic of the judges’ panel was undoubtedly controversial, making it particularly necessary to ensure everyone’s awareness.
I have nothing to apologize for and nothing to retract. I stand by the fact that I reported, and by what I wrote.5 I protect sources. People have even broken laws to provide me with information, and I appreciate that level of trust. You can share any information with me. No one will know that you did. No one will know what you told me unless you authorize dissemination or until the information becomes publicly accessible. All you have to do is to tell me if there are restrictions. Really easy.
- We know that a LES France group call with a large number of participants took place this week, and that this topic came up. We protect our sources and will not describe them in any way. When we hear about a development from different sources, even from two different countries, and when one of the sources (the French one) explicitly authorizes that we disclose our awareness, then we can speak out. ↩︎
- I have other priorities than to sue over that and believe this statement will put the matter to rest. This is, however, based on the assumption that people will face the facts and be reasonable. If you have a problem, just reach out. ↩︎
- Please refrain from inviting us to CHR-governed events in the first place. Unless we have a special partnership with you, you’ll just be wasting your time and ours. ↩︎
- Central European Summer Time ↩︎
- I even verified the name of the Advisory Board chairman in the chat of the video conferencing application as all participants who read the chat can confirm. ↩︎