Huawei and Ericsson have signed a long-term global patent cross-licensing agreement that covers patents essential to a wide range of standards such as 3GPP, ITU, IEEE, and IETF standards for 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular technologies.
The agreement covers the companies' respective sales of network infrastructure and consumer devices, granting both parties global access to each other's patented, standardized technologies.
Over the past 20 years, Huawei has been a major contributor to mainstream ICT standards, including those for cellular, Wi-Fi, and multimedia codecs. In 2022, Huawei topped the European Patent Office's applicant ranking for number of patent applications filed, with 4,505 applications.
Alan Fan, Head of Huawei's Intellectual Property Department
We are delighted to reach a long-term global cross-licensing agreement with Ericsson. As major contributors of standard essential patents (SEPs) for mobile communication, the companies recognize the value of each other's intellectual property, and this agreement creates a stronger patent environment. It demonstrates the commitment both parties have forged that intellectual property should be properly respected and protected.