Huawei has published a new white paper focused on innovation and intellectual property at its 2021 Forum on Innovation and IP Prospects. The White Paper focuses on how Huawei has continued to be a leader in Innovation and Intellectual property management since 1990.
As a Technology company, this trend has been key in Huawei’s rise as one of the most influential technology powerhouses. In particular, developing continents like Africa have benefited from this as the company has brought numerous impressive technologies to previously underserved areas.
These range from smartphones to mobile network technologies that are affordable, reliable and resistant to short term failures helping end-users gain the best quality at low prices.
“We want to show the history of our innovation over the past 30 years and our long-term commitment to respecting, protecting, and contributing to IP,” said Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer Song Liuping.
Huawei – A leader in patent filing
Huawei is one of the world’s largest patent holders, and by the end of 2020 it held over 100,000 active patents in more than 40,000 patent families worldwide. The company first topped the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO’s) list of patent filers in 2008, and since then, it has finished first on this list for the previous 12 years.
This trend can be identified with the company’s continued market domination in developing important technologies. Currently, the most notable example is 5G where it ranks as a leader against other equipment manufacturers in the world.
Infact, the company’s continued innovation has been key to the development of most high-quality networks in African mobile networks. Even with 5G as the new network band, the company has tried collaborating with mobile network providers to roll out the standard in African countries and its efforts can be seen in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria.
“Innovation has been at the core of Huawei’s business since the company was founded.
Our white paper lists the number of patent applications Huawei filed, or our R&D and innovation activities, in the late 90s and early 2000s.” explained Huawei’s Head of Intellectual Property Rights Jason Ding.
The Growing 5G royalty rate
The company also announced that for multi-mode 5G smartphones, it will be providing a reasonable percentage royalty rate of the handset’s selling price and a per-unit royalty cap of $2.50. This will drive the adoption of 5G by making the cost structure for 5G implementers transparent and affordable.
The certainty and affordable licence fee structure also goes a long way in ensuring that 5G smartphones are attainable by all prospective consumers. And by this standard, the company is majorly supporting African countries to embrace furutr technologies that drive economic growth, improved education and a better quality of life.
To read more, access the full Huawei White Paper Here.