Qualcomm, in a bid to bulk up its patent stash, has picked up patent portfolio from Hewlett-Packard Co, Hewlett-Packard Development Co LP and Palm Inc.
The patent portfolio comprises of around 1,400 granted patents and pending patent applications from the United States and around 1,000 granted patents and pending patent applications from China, England, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other countries.
The Snapdragon 800 maker is yet to disclose the patent purchase price and in a press release has stated that patents bought from HP covers mainly “fundamental mobile operating system techniques.”
Qualcomm’s new patents range will not only enhance strength and diversity of the company’s mobile patent portfolio, but will also strengthen the chipmaker company’s position in terms of what it can offer to its current and future licensees.
The portfolio also includes patents that HP acquired when it bought Palm Inc, in 2010 and Bitfone in 2006.
Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder said, “There’s nothing left at Palm that HP could get any use out of so it’s better to sell the patents, which are always valuable to Qualcomm”, notes Reuters.
“They have to keep that bucket full.”
A spokeswoman from Qualcomm said that the new patents will not result in increased royalty rates for existing Qualcomm licensees.
