Apple, Nokia, Google and Microsoft will for the change in patent laws today at a “UN confab on whether patent law is stifling innovation,” reports “The Register” (http://macte.ch/ycBnG).

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) arranged the meeting to assess the effectiveness of allowing companies to sort out the licensing of patents crucial to building industry-standard gear, the article adds. The companies involved are expected to offer these essential designs on “reasonable and non-discriminatory terms,”

The meeting will also discuss whether existing patent law should be updated, whether standards essential patent violations should result in product bans, and what the basic rate for royalties should be, notes “The Register.”