Jeffrey Lamken of MoloLamken represents Ericsson before the Federal Circuit. Photo: Diego Radzinschi/ALM

The landscape for evaluating large portfolios of standard-essential patents could be transformed this week in a Washington, D.C., courtroom.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is set to hear arguments for the first time on the proper framework for determining a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) rate when more than just a handful of patents are in play.