HP Becomes Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 Pool Licensee, Ending Disputes with Wilus, Huawei and Philips

HP Inc and Sisvel have concluded an agreement for the Palo Alto-based global technology leader to become a licensee of the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool.

The deal follows a mediation process ordered by Judge Rodney Gilstrap, of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, as part of patent infringement litigation brought against HP by Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology, a licensor in the pool.

The agreement not only ends the Wilus suit, but also actions launched against HP by other Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 pool licensors, Huawei and Philips. HP now has one-stop access to approximately 2,000 patents (245 patent families) recognised to date, through the pool’s process of independent patent evaluations, as essential to the 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 standard.

Close to 40 entities license the patents in the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool. In addition to HP Inc, these include other recent additions such as Cisco, Netgear and Acer.

“We are grateful to HP for the constructive way in which they engaged in the mediation process and to mediator Hon. David Folsom for his facilitation,” says Nick Webb, Sisvel’s Head of Licensing. “All parties worked seriously to find a solution instead of escalating the dispute. Sisvel is always ready to help resolve disagreements between parties and to deliver equitable licensing solutions. We are pleased to have done so in this case.”

Wilus founder and CEO Jin Sam Kwak says this is an important moment for the South Korean company, which was founded in 2012: “With the litigation now behind us and HP joining as another Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 pool licensee, we are free to focus our efforts on advancing R&D and driving further innovation in Wi-Fi technologies.”

Steven Geiszler, Huawei’s Chief US IP Counsel, says the company is “delighted that this agreement resolves our current dispute with HP”. Huawei is dedicated to making its cutting-edge Wi-Fi technologies widely adopted for the benefit of industry and consumers, he explains. “Patent pools like Sisvel’s play a key role in offering FRAND licences on behalf of innovators to industry players efficiently, which in turn motivates innovators to re-invest into inventing more advanced technologies,” Geiszler states.

It is a view shared by Jako Eleveld, Philips’ Head of IP Licensing. “Philips is convinced that the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool is the right solution for licensing Wi-Fi 6 technology,” he says. “This is demonstrated by the numerous Wi-Fi 6 patent licence agreements signed thus far. The addition of HP in October as the latest licensee marks an important milestone for the pool.”