Huawei technology has been fully applied, and car companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Porsche have been authorized.
According to CTOnews.com on December 23, Fan Zhiyong, global head of Huawei's intellectual property department, told Nikkei that Huawei has granted technology patents to top automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Porsche because they need to find ways to cash out their patents in the event of a crackdown.
These patent licensing agreements were reached in the second half of 2022, which means that 15 million of the 70 million cars produced worldwide each year use Huawei technology, he said. In addition to the four German carmakers, Huawei has signed licensing agreements with Subaru of Japan, Renault of France, Lamborghini of Italy and Bentley of the UK.
Huawei also announced similar cross-licensing agreements with Samsung Electronics and OPPO this month, CTOnews.com reported. In addition, Huawei and Nokia said on Thursday that they had extended the patent licensing agreement first reached in 2017 and resolved legal disputes over the matter.
Fan Zhiyong said that patent licensing agreements allow Huawei not only to deal with Chinese and foreign companies, but also to generate revenue. "patents are public and are not subject to export controls.... we also deal with American companies on cross-licensing transactions, and [export controls] are not a factor at all.
He said Huawei signed more than 20 new or expanded patent licensing agreements in 2022, covering technologies for smartphones, connected cars, networks and the Internet of things. "in the automotive industry alone, we have struck deals with about 15 carmakers to use our advanced wireless technology, and most importantly, Huawei's patents are generating value in many different ways."
Huawei is said to have accumulated a large number of patents, especially those related to 5G wireless communications. According to Japan's NGB intellectual property Research Institute, Chinese companies take the lead in the number of "families" of 5G patents filed, followed by Qualcomm, Samsung and LG Electronics. A patent family is a group of patents that cover similar content.
In response to the news, an Audi spokesman said they are willing to "respect the intellectual property rights of third parties and are willing to obtain permission to abide by the law if necessary and available." Renault said it was studying the topic.
"by getting a return on our R & D investment, we can reinvest and redevelop," said Steven Geiszler Geissler, Huawei's chief US intellectual property adviser.
Huawei earned about $1.2 billion from licenses globally in the three years to 2021, or hundreds of millions of dollars a year. He said that its annual sales data for 2022 will not be counted until next year, and the profits or losses of authorized departments will not be accounted for independently.
