WIPS global: BlackBerry sold 90 patents to Huawei

3.16.2021

BlackBerry sold 90 patents to Huawei

Blackberry has sold 90 patents related to smartphone technology to Huawei. This also means that the Canadian company is stepping down from the mobile phone business.

The Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, reported that it confirmed the transfer of intellectual property through records from the United States Patent Office (USPTO), and that BlackBerry's CFO also confirmed this on an investor call. The BlackBerry was once a leader in the smartphone market, but at the time such devices were enterprise tools and enterprise customers appreciated the handset's security and management features and other features such as the QWERTY keyboard.

▲ pixabay.com

BlackBerry Huawei patent deal

However, despite high praise from enterprises, the company, then known as RIM (Research In Motion Limited, formerly BlackBerry), was unable to adapt to changing market trends. Apple and Android manufacturers have been able to provide more desirable handsets and weaken BlackBerry's strengths in terms of security. The problem was that it couldn't launch a more modern operating system than before 2013, and eventually it withdrew from the market in 2016.

Since then, BlackBerry has focused on providing mobile services and security, but CEO John Chen wants to realize the enormous value of his intellectual property. It is estimated that there are 38,000 patents in BlackBerry's library, and with this in mind, the 90 patents sold to Huawei are only a small fraction. However, some of the sold patents include innovative core technologies developed during the company's heyday, including 1) the technology to display text and images on devices according to physical orientation and location tagging of photos (picture 2 below). But other things are Blackberry's traditional technologies for security, such as 2) sharing data to a group of devices (pictured below).

▲ wipsglobal.com
example for (1) US patent 9367097
which titled; System and method for adjusting presentation of text and images
on an electric device according to an orientation of the device

▲ wipsglobal.com
example for (2) US patent 9917702
which titled; System and method for managing items in a list shared
by a group of mobile devices

Some observers have even questioned whether it had to sell IP to Huawei as BlackBerry has raised national security concerns among some Canadian allies. In response, BlackBerry added that the transaction was allowed under applicable rules.