Huawei Signs A Multi-Year Patent Cross-License Agreement With Vivo

Huawei recently announced that it has signed a multi-year patent cross-license agreement with Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo. It seems as if Huawei is following in the footsteps of Nokia. Last month, Nokia did the same, and now one month after Huawei signed the agreement. Reports claim that Vivo has agreed to pay royalties for 5G technologies. It will open the door for the company to operate in countries, where Huawei owns certain 5G patents. No doubt, this cross-license agreement will pave the way for both companies to work together in the future.

Vivo and Nokia also signed a cross-license agreement recently. Both companies terminated the prolonged dispute between them in all jurisdictions over patent payments. Sources claim that Vivo has patent applications in over 70 countries and regions. Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo owns a patent portfolio of 25,000 families, as of December 31, 2023. There are a total of over 6,000 families of 5G standard-essential patents, 2,500 families declared to ETSI and approximately 13,500 standard document submissions to 3GPP.

Alan Fan, Head of Huawei’s Intellectual Property Department stated:

“Huawei is pleased to have reached this agreement with vivo through amicable negotiation. This licensing agreement reflects our mutual respect for the value of each other’s patents. It also demonstrates that the industry is working together. We’re collectively investing in fundamental research, and we’re committed to standardizing and sharing the fruits of innovation. In the end, it’s all about providing people around the world with better products and services.”

Huawei has signed its second major agreement with Vivo in the past 24 hours, the other being with Amazon. The multi-year patent cross-licensing will be beneficial for the US company. It will be able to use WiFi and video playback-related patent technologies in Germany and across the world.