HP Offloads Palm, iPaq, and Bitfone Patents to Qualcomm
Hewlett Packard's Palm patents are changing hands. Qualcomm is the new owner, having announced the acquisition of a patent portfolio from HP that not only includes Palm, but also iPaq and Bitfone patents. The patent portfolio is stuffed full with around 2,400 granted patents and pending patent applications from the U.S. and other countries.
Qualcomm didn't say how much it paid HP for the patent portfolio, which covers technologies that include fundamental mobile operating system techniques.
"The acquisition further enhances the strength and diversity of Qualcomm Incorporated's industry-leading mobile patent portfolio and will enable the company to offer even more value to current and future licensees," Qualcomm said.
HP paid $1.2 billion for Palm back in 2010. At the time, HP hoped to build a thriving tablet business around webOS, rights of which it gained by acquiring Palm. However, HP's TouchPad tablet flopped and these days HP builds slates that run Android and Windows. As for webOS, that was sold to LG last year.
It's not clear what Qualcomm will use its newly acquired patents for. Certainly it opens up all kinds of licensing opportunities, which the company could bundle with its Snapdragon SoCs.
Qualcomm didn't say how much it paid HP for the patent portfolio, which covers technologies that include fundamental mobile operating system techniques.
"The acquisition further enhances the strength and diversity of Qualcomm Incorporated's industry-leading mobile patent portfolio and will enable the company to offer even more value to current and future licensees," Qualcomm said.
HP paid $1.2 billion for Palm back in 2010. At the time, HP hoped to build a thriving tablet business around webOS, rights of which it gained by acquiring Palm. However, HP's TouchPad tablet flopped and these days HP builds slates that run Android and Windows. As for webOS, that was sold to LG last year.
It's not clear what Qualcomm will use its newly acquired patents for. Certainly it opens up all kinds of licensing opportunities, which the company could bundle with its Snapdragon SoCs.
