HP has signed a multi-year global agreement to license WiFi patents from Huawei, resolving a prior patent dispute and extending the Chinese firm's intellectual property reach despite its U.S. blacklisting since 2019.
U.S. personal computing and printing firm HP has signed a multi-year global licensing agreement covering certain WiFi patents owned by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, the companies announced Wednesday — a deal that underscores the continued reach of Huawei's intellectual property portfolio despite the company's U.S. blacklisting.
The agreement covers standard-essential patents related to WiFi technology, HP said, and includes reciprocal patent rights flowing back to Huawei. HP was quick to characterize the arrangement as routine.
"This is a standard-essential patent license covering Wi-Fi technology — something used broadly across the industry and routine for companies whose products connect to Wi-Fi. It is not new, does not represent a broader strategic or commercial relationship, partnership, or collaboration with Huawei," HP said in a statement.
The deal traces its origins to a patent dispute involving HP, Huawei, and other companies that was resolved last fall. That earlier settlement granted HP access to a pool of 2,000 patents related to wireless network connectivity. Huawei was one of the founding members of that patent pool, known as Sisvel WiFi 6.
The latest cross-licensing agreement builds on that foundation, adding "valuable reciprocal patent rights from HP," according to Steven Geiszler, who represented Huawei in the negotiations. Geiszler served as a senior in-house intellectual property lawyer for Huawei for nearly a decade before establishing his own firm in April, with Huawei as his primary client. He is based in Texas.
Huawei was placed on the U.S. Entity List in 2019, a designation that restricted the company from purchasing components and software from American suppliers, including Google. The blacklisting was rooted in national security concerns and effectively cut Huawei off from key parts of the global technology supply chain.
The new licensing arrangement signals that Huawei's technology — if not its products or business relationships — continues to find acceptance beyond China's borders. Standard-essential patents, by their nature, cover technology baked into widely adopted industry specifications, meaning any manufacturer building WiFi-enabled devices may need to negotiate licenses regardless of the patent holder's geopolitical standing.
HP is scheduled to release earnings Thursday morning Beijing time, adding a financial backdrop to the announcement. The company was spun off as a standalone entity in 2015 when Hewlett-Packard split into two separate units.
TechEchelon Staff bylines are produced collectively by the newsroom for short, breaking, and wire-style coverage. Longer-form reporting is published under the responsible reporter's name.
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