As much patents as difference of cross licensing agreement
Samsung transferred 98 patents it has in the US to Huawei last month, TheElec has learned.
Combined with the 81 patents it handed over in 2019 to the Chinese company the Korean firm has given Huawei 179 patents in total so far.
The pair had signed a cross-licensing agreement in 2019 to end their patent disputes.
The number of patents Samsung has given to Huawei is likely worth the same as the difference in their cross-licensing agreement.
The three-year period from the last patent transfer likely has to do with the agreement being renewed.
Patents transferred range from those related to telecommunication, charging, camera, display, and others.
Family patents to those in the US that are registered in South Korea have also been transferred.
In cross-licensing agreements, sometimes one party pays more licensing fees compared to the other due to their difference in the number and quality of patents.
In 2016, Xiaomi and Microsoft signed a similar cross-licensing agreement and Xiaomi likely pays more as it has fewer patents.
Samsung and Huawei’s patent dispute involved those related to telecommunication, which the Chinese company has more.
Samsung is likely transferring the patents as the cross-licensing agreement mostly involves 5G patents and it has fewer than Huawei.
Since the US sanctions and split off of its Honor smartphone brand, Huawei has been increasing its patent licensing revenues.
