The European Commission announced on February 11, 2025, the withdrawal of three significant technology regulation proposals, including those on standard essential patents (SEP), artificial intelligence liability, and consumer data protection. Behind the decision are disagreements between EU member states and legislators, as well as intensive industry lobbying.
Among the withdrawn proposals is the regulation on standard essential patents presented two years ago, which was intended to settle royalty disputes between Nokia, Ericsson, and other patent holders versus Apple, Google, and car manufacturers. The EU executive body also rejected the AI Liability Directive proposed in 2022, which would have allowed consumers to claim compensation for failures of AI technologies, as well as the ePrivacy regulation from 2017, which would have imposed stricter data protection rules on WhatsApp and Skype services. At the Paris AI summit, EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated that the EU is easing technology regulation to encourage investment in artificial intelligence, not due to pressure from American Big Tech companies and the Trump administration.
The Fair Standards Alliance, whose members include BMW, Tesla, Google, and Amazon, expressed shock at the Commission's decision, while Nokia welcomed the move, arguing that the regulation would have had a negative impact on the global innovation ecosystem. Despite the withdrawals, the EU remains committed to implementing already adopted digital regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Sources:
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Ramsha Jahangir
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