Qualcomm grabs Palm patents and more from HP for core mobile OS technologies.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

January 23, 2014

1 Min Read
Qualcomm Buys HP Mobile Patents

Qualcomm revealed Thursday afternoon that it is buying a raft of mobile operating system patents from Hewlett-Packard. The price was not disclosed.

The portfolio includes 2,400 current and pending patents that cover some "core" mobile operating system technologies that HP acquired through its acquisitions of Palm, IPAQ, and Bitfone. Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) said in a press release that the IPR trove, which includes 1,400 US patents, gives it more strength and diversity in its mobile patent portfolio. (See Palm Plots Beyond Phones.)

Qualcomm has always been seen as interested in Palm's patents. In 2011, the chipmaker was cited as a possible buyer for the WebOS business. (See Could Qualcomm Take WebOS? and HP Shuts Down WebOS Device Biz.) However, it is not yet clear exactly what patents Qualcomm will get with the buy from HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ). In April, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) bought $10 million of former Palm smartphone-related patents.

Nonetheless, Qualcomm already has one of the most formidable wireless patent portfolios in the world.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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