Headline: Tesla wins UK Supreme Court ruling in 5G patent fight — crypto holdings untouched
Tesla scored a significant legal win in the UK Supreme Court on July 27, reviving its bid to force a court determination of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms for patents needed to deploy 5G-enabled vehicles in Britain.
What happened
- The Supreme Court overturned earlier decisions that had blocked part of Tesla’s 2023 High Court lawsuit against InterDigital and Avanci, sending Tesla’s FRAND claim back to the High Court for a full hearing.
- At issue is a platform licence offered through Avanci — which bundles patents from multiple owners — that cost $32 per vehicle when Tesla filed its claim. Tesla says that rate is not FRAND.
- The court ruled patent owners can’t sidestep FRAND commitments simply by placing patents into a licensing pool or platform. That reasoning lets Tesla pursue whether Avanci’s standardised terms meet FRAND obligations in England and Wales.
Procedural background
- In 2024 the High Court refused Tesla’s request for a FRAND determination while allowing other parts of Tesla’s suit (including challenges to three InterDigital patents) to proceed.
- Tesla appealed. The Court of Appeal mostly backed the lower court, prompting Tesla to take the case to the Supreme Court.
- Industry groups, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association and the Motion Picture Association, intervened in support of Tesla’s appeal.
What it does — and doesn’t — decide
- The ruling does not set the licence fee. It only removes a procedural barrier so the High Court can now consider whether the platform licence terms are FRAND.
- The decision applies to litigation in England and Wales and does not change US patent law or automatically alter licensing in other jurisdictions.
Reactions and market impact
- Avanci said it “respectfully disagrees” with the decision and continues to believe Tesla’s claims lack merit.
- Tesla shares ticked up about 0.98% to $316.10 in premarket trading after the ruling, according to Yahoo Finance, but later traded around $309.10 on July 27, down roughly 1.2% from the previous close (intraday range $304.28–$317).
Why crypto readers should care
- The legal win matters for Tesla’s connected-car rollout in the UK — potentially affecting the cost and availability of 5G connectivity in its vehicles — but it does not touch Tesla’s crypto balance sheet.
- As previously reported, Tesla held 11,509 BTC unchanged through Q2; it neither bought nor sold Bitcoin in the quarter. Falling crypto prices produced a $112 million after-tax loss on Tesla’s digital assets during the period. Bitcoin traded near $83,000 at the start of the quarter and fell as low as about $58,000 in late June.
- On broader crypto payments, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has suggested the company could one day accept Dogecoin for vehicle purchases, but for now Tesla only accepts DOGE for eligible merchandise in the Tesla Shop. The UK patent ruling doesn’t change that payment policy.
Bottom line
Tesla’s Supreme Court win clears a major procedural hurdle in a case that could shape how 5G connectivity is licensed to automakers in the UK. The decision revives Tesla’s FRAND challenge but leaves the final licence price to be decided in trial — and leaves Tesla’s Bitcoin and Dogecoin positions unchanged for now.
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