Huawei and Sharp Forge Long-Term Patent Alliance to Drive Cellular Innovation

Huawei and Sharp Forge Long-Term Patent Alliance to Drive Cellular Innovation

Huawei and Sharp have announced the signing of a long-term global patent cross-licensing agreement, covering Cellular Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) related to 4G and 5G technologies. This agreement will enable both companies to utilise each other’s patented technologies without the need for further negotiations, fostering innovation and collaboration within the telecommunications industry.

"This agreement signifies mutual recognition of the intellectual property contributions of both Huawei and Sharp, fostering a collaborative approach to standardisation efforts," remarked Alan Fan, head of Huawei's intellectual property department.

"Huawei has valued its collaborations with Japanese and global partners in advancing industry standards, and we remain committed to fostering such partnerships in the future," Fan said.

Mototaka Taneya, Executive Managing Officer, Chief Technical Officer, and Head of R&D at Sharp, expressed satisfaction with the agreement, stating, “We are delighted to have reached this global patent cross-licensing agreement with Huawei under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms."

Tom Furnival, patent attorney at Mewburn Ellis, noted that Huawei's resolution of this licensing agreement with Sharp may alleviate some concerns surrounding their involvement in one of the first SEP Unified Patent Court disputes against Netgear earlier this year.

Huawei, the Chinese technology giant, has filed patent infringement lawsuits against the California-based Wi-Fi equipment vendor Netgear in both Europe and China. These lawsuits allege that Netgear's products infringe on Huawei's patents covering Wi-Fi technology.

Huawei, emulating the successful patent licensing strategies of Nokia and Ericsson, has been actively asserting its extensive patent portfolio. The Chinese tech giant has filed patent infringement lawsuits against several companies, including Stellantis, Xiaomi, Amazon, and Verizon, in a bid to protect its intellectual property rights.