Acer, Pantech sign licensing agreements with InterDigital
updated 06:50 pm EDT, Mon April 9, 2012
InterDigital aims to expand licensing program
InterDigital has announced that it has established new licensing agreements with Acer and Pantech. The latter companies have agreed to pay InterDigital royalties for several new products, such as tablets, that were said to be excluded from original agreements related to 2G, 3G and 4G technologies.
The company late last year was considering possible suitors for a buyout, however it later changed course and decided to bolster its patent sales and licensing programs. The potential sale fueled speculation that Apple, Google, or a smartphone maker may have attempted to acquire the company and expand the ongoing legal battles over smartphone patents.
InterDigital claims that every cellular device integrates some type of technology covered by its intellectual property portfolio, which is said to include nearly 20,000 patents. It expects licensing agreements to bring annual revenues of $800 million within a few years.
"With companies such as Acer and Pantech continuing to expand their product offerings, we look to continue to broaden the reach of our licensing program as well,” said InterDigital patent division president Lawrence Shay.
