Huawei Technologies has released a new white paper on innovation and Intellectual Property.
The Information and Communications Technology infrastructure and smart devices provider disclosed this at a forum on ‘lnnovation and IP Prospects in 2021’.
According to a statement made available to Financial Street, the white paper focuses on Huawei’s position in innovation and IP management since the 1990s.
“This has been key to Huawei rising as one of the world’s most influential technology powerhouses,” the company stated.
The statement noted that previously underserved African communities and consumers have benefited from Huawei’s numerous “impressive” technologies, including mobile network technologies that are affordable and reliable and smartphones that offer incredible value for their price.
“We want to show the history of our innovation over the past 30 years and our long-term commitment to respecting, protecting and contributing to IP,” said Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer, Song Liuping.
Hinting on its patent filing, Huawei said as of the end of 2020, it held over 100,00 active patents in more than 40,000 patent families worldwide.
“Huawei first topped the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s list of patent filers in 2008. Since then, it has finished first on this list for all but one of these years,” it noted.
The white paper also focuses on how Huawei’s priority on IP, as well as research and development, did not appear out of the blues, the statement added.
“Innovation has been at the core of Huawei’s business since the company was founded.
“Our white paper lists the number of patent applications Huawei filed, or our R&D and innovation activities in the late 90s and early 2000s,” explained Huawei’s Head of Intellectual Property Rights, Jason Ding.
The company also announced that for multi-mode 5G smartphones, it would be providing a reasonable percentage royalty rate of the handset’s selling price and a per unit royalty cap of $2.50.
This will drive the adoption of 5G by making the cost structure for 5G implementers transparent and affordable, it added.
“This certainty and affordable licence fee structure goes a long way in ensuring that 5G smartphones are available to African consumers.
“Huawei is, therefore, supporting African countries embrace future technologies that drive economic growth, improved education and better quality of life,” the company noted.
