Huawei signs patent licensing deal with smartphone rival Oppo as it fights to make money amid ongoing US pressure
- The Shenzhen-based telecoms giant and Oppo have agreed to a patent cross-licensing deal
- Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei told the company’s IP team earlier this year to step up efforts to turn its vast pool of patents into revenue
Huawei Technologies Co has agreed to license some of its smartphone technologies to an old rival, as it struggles to make money after its lucrative handset business was hit by US trade sanctions that have cut off its access to advanced chips.
The Shenzhen-based telecommunications giant and Oppo, one of China’s top smartphone brands, said on Friday that they had agreed to a “patent cross-licensing” deal covering technologies including 5G.
The deal comes as Huawei accelerates efforts to make money from its assets, including its patent pool, as the company's revenues and profit shrink mainly because of US pressure. The financial terms of the deal, which Huawei said is its largest cross-licensing agreement with a Chinese company, were not disclosed.
Alan Fan, head of Huawei’s intellectual property department, did not elaborate on the specific patents involved in the deal. The partnership is “a win-win deal” for both companies, as it demonstrates the recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property (IP), Adler Feng, Oppo’s chief intellectual property officer, said in a statement.
