Wistron Corp (緯創) yesterday signed a licensing agreement with US patent company Intellectual Ventures Management LLC (IV), part of a new intellectual property (IP) shield for the world’s No. 3 contract laptop computer maker as it braces for a growing number of patent disputes in the global technology industry.
Wistron became the third Taiwanese company to sign an agreement with IV, joining HTC Corp (宏達電), the world’s No. 5 smartphone maker, and local LCD panel maker Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd (中華映管) in their search for IP support in face of growing legal threats from their global rivals.
HTC’s intensive patent lawsuits with Apple Inc in the US were the latest in a long line of legal cases Taiwanese firms have faced recently and even global electronics heavyweights such as Apple and Samsung Electronics Co have signed deals with IV to enrich their patent portfolio in order to protect their interests.
IV, headquartered in Washington, expects to unveil another new deal with a Taiwanese firm by the middle of next month at the earliest, Donald Meriono, a senior vice president of global licensing sales at IV, said during a media briefing yesterday in Taipei.
The latest deal would provide Wistron access to IV’s patent portfolio of more than 35,000 assets that include patents in the fields of displays, materials, software, TV and semiconductors. Based on the agreement, the PC company also becomes a member of IV’s “IP for defense” program.
“The signing of this licensing agreement embodies Wistron’s strong commitment to adhere to its IP policy and its continuous efforts to strengthen Wistron’s patent portfolio,” Michael Wu (吳重銘), general counsel at Wistron, said in a press release. “By entering into a strategic alliance with Intellectual Ventures, Wistron gains efficient access to patented technologies which can mitigate Wistron’s exposure to future risks and further help Wistron to stay competitive in the OEM [original equipment manufacturer] or ODM [original design manufacturer] business.”
In October last year, Wistron settled its latest patent infringement lawsuit with Japanese electronics company Toshiba Corp by signing cross-licensing agreements and paying an unspecified amount of damages after Toshiba filed a complaint to the US International Trade Commission in January last year.
To help local companies deal with the growing number of legal battles, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院), backed by the government, announced earlier this month that it would form a IP management company, called IP Bank, following in the footsteps of the South Korean government’s formation of Intellectual Discovery Ltd last year.
Meriono said it is difficult to say how Asian governments’ efforts to develop their own IP management firms would affect the global IP business, but in general, he said Taiwanese companies would still have to find non-governmental solutions given the growing competition between Taiwanese and Chinese companies.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
RSS