450 Nokia Patents (mostly wireless related) Acquired by Sisvel,

You may have read that Sisvel Acquired 450 patents from Nokia (from 47 Patent families). From what I gather, Sisvel, kinda like Mosaid, will manage and protect Nokia’s patents and become a source of revenue for Nokia.

Patents allow a company to protect its technology, increase the commercial value of its product offerings, and set itself apart from the competition.  If managed properly, patents can also become an independent source of revenue.  SISVEL believes that the use of intellectual property as a means of generating income is one of the foremost challenges facing many businesses. 

The recent growth of the global marketplace and the strength of emerging markets has forced many companies to secure their competitive position and profitability through vigorous protection and monetization of intangible assets.

For this reason, SISVEL continually works with its partners to maximize returns on their intellectual property by offering a comprehensive approach to patent licensing:  from issuing initial calls for essential patents in joint licensing arrangements; facilitating discussions among essential patent holders; developing multiparty license agreements; executing and administering licenses;  to collecting and distributing royalties.  With a clear understanding and insight into the direction that technology and the marketplace are heading, SISVEL can help companies identify, value, and market intellectual property assets to create new income streams derived from a well-managed licensing program.

At the same time, SISVEL actively promotes a culture of respect for and understanding of intellectual property through, for example, its regular presence at the world’s top consumer electronics trade fairs, frequent participation in policy discussions and conferences, as well as open dialogues with a number of government bodies and industry associations

http://www.sisvel.com/english/licensingprograms/background

Anyway, the press release is below.

Sisvel Acquires Over 450 Nokia Patents, Including Over 350 Patents Essential to Wireless Standards

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Sisvel International announced today that it has acquired 47 patent families comprised of more than 450 patents and applications originally filed by Nokia.

The patents and patent applications cover technologies used in a wide range of mobile communications devices and services. Thirty-three of the patent families, consisting of more than 350 patents and applications, have been declared essential by Nokia to second, third and fourth-generation communications standards, including GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communications), UMTS/WCDMA (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service / Wide-Band Code Division Multiple Access) and LTE (Long Term Evolution). The balance of the portfolio consists of implementation patents including video encoding optimization technologies. The acquired patents remain subject to certain prior agreements and Nokia is licensed under the portfolio as part of the acquisition.

“Sisvel has been extremely active in recent years working with the wireless industry to provide simplified access to essential wireless patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory, or FRAND, conditions,” said Giustino de Sanctis, CEO of Sisvel International. Mr. de Sanctis also explained that “Acquiring the many essential patents in this key portfolio is a very significant step for Sisvel and a testament to Sisvel’s commitment and determination to succeed in this space. We look forward to offering these essential patents on FRAND terms and to continuing our work within the wireless industry.”

About the Sisvel Group

Started in 1982 when Sisvel S.p.A. was founded in Italy, the Sisvel Group has become a world leader in managing intellectual property and maximizing the value of patent rights. The Sisvel Group is global in scope and reach, with companies in Italy (Sisvel in None Torinese and Edico in Rome), the United States (Sisvel US and Audio MPEG in Metropolitan Washington, DC), China (Sisvel Hong Kong), Japan (Sisvel Japan in Tokyo), Germany (Sisvel Germany in Stuttgart), and Luxembourg (Sisvel International), and with over one hundred professionals worldwide with technical, legal, and licensing expertise.

Sisvel has a long history of managing successful patent portfolios including those related to the audio compression standards known as MP3 and MPEG Audio, and widespread technologies such as OSD (On Screen Display), ATSS (Automatic Tuning & Sorting System), and WSS (Wide Screen Signaling – for automatic switching of television image formats). Sisvel currently operates patent pools for the UHF-RFID, CDMA 2000, DVB-T, and DVB-T2 standards, and is in the process of creating patent pools for LTE, DVB-C2 and Wi-Fi.

Source: Engadget

Cheers Kaizer Allen for the tip!

Category: Nokia