Chinese manufacturer, Foxconn, has revealed that it has sold multiple communication patents to Google as the company wishes to strengthen its patent portfolio to protect its Android operating system from patent trolls.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Company also known as Foxconn, has been manufacturing electronics equipment ranging from connecting wires to smartphones for a number of technology companies. It gained global recognition for manufacturing Apple's iPhones in recent times. Foxconn currently holds 64,300 patents worldwide and has applied for 128,400 more patents. It was one of the Top 20 companies to hold patents in the US according to patent research firm, Envision IP.
A report from the Wall Street Journal has revealed that Foxconn has now sold some of its communication-related patents to US-based software giant, Google, for an undisclosed amount of money.
Google has been actively looking to strengthen its IP portfolio in wake of lawsuits filed by patent trolls against Android device makers. To expand its patent portfolio, Google acquired Motorola Mobility in 2011 but sold it to Lenovo in 2014, while retaining the ownership of the communication patents from the company.
Although Google declined to comment on the report, Foxconn has provided a statement saying that it would continue research and development of technologies and continue "transforming such investments into valuable intellectual property assets."
Source: Wall Street Journal | Image via Bloomberg
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