Managing IP is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2023

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Huawei issues seminal Wi-Fi 6 patent licence to Buffalo

huawei.jpeg

Huawei has agreed its first-ever overseas licence for Wi-Fi 6 with Japanese company Buffalo, marking the maturity of the technology for broader deployment

Huawei has entered into a patent licence agreement with Japanese networking and storage company Buffalo for its Wi-Fi 6 technology, the Chinese telecoms company announced today.

The agreement is Huawei’s first-ever overseas, Wi-Fi 6-focused licence, which provides Buffalo with access to certain Wi-Fi 6 enabled products under Huawei’s portfolio of standard essential patents (SEPs).

“We have broader licence agreements covering both Wi-Fi 6 and legacy Wi-Fi products, but this agreement marks the emergence of Wi-Fi 6 as the dominant Wi-Fi technology,” said Alan Fan, global head of intellectual property at Huawei. 

The deal, signed in September, is important because it signifies the maturity of the technology for large-scale standalone deployment. With the licence in place, Buffalo will now focus on developing products specifically focused on Wi-Fi 6.

Until now, Huawei had licensed Wi-Fi 6 along with other products within its SEP family, on the basis that most countries had yet to equip themselves to fully embrace the technology.

“Different countries are at different stages of adopting and applying different generations of Wi-Fi technologies,” said Fan. “The licensing agreement with Buffalo indicates that Japan is leading the industry in terms of Wi-Fi 6 adoption and application.”

Huawei is in talks with other multinational businesses to license Wi-Fi 6, and expects that this latest agreement will lay the groundwork for further adoption and application of the technology.

According to Huawei, Wi-Fi 6 offers a faster data rate, increased capacity and lower latency and power consumption, which makes it suitable for densely populated areas such as shopping complexes, airports, stadiums and smart homes.

Huawei owns more than 120 Wi-Fi 6 SEPs. The company currently has 100,000 granted patents across the world, and 3,500 of those are related to Wi-Fi technology.

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Patient groups and generics makers may have to bear the brunt of India’s latest attempt at patent reform
Each week Managing IP speaks to a different IP lawyer about their life and career
Paolo Tavolato, who will share the role, said private equity support would help the IP consultancy achieve its ambitious M&A plans
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has hired former Anand & Anand partner Swati Sharma and hopes to compete with specialist IP firms
Rapporteur-Judge András Kupecz ruled that education and training weren’t legitimate reasons for a member of the public to access documents
Searches for comparison prior art will be a little easier, but practitioners will have to put more thought into claim construction and design patent titles
The Helsinki local division rejected AIM Sport’s request for a preliminary injunction in a dispute with rival Supponor
We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis coverage from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP
The FTC’s plans to scrutinise improperly listed Orange Book patents could make these listings more important in litigation, but firms should be looking at this anyway
Counsel at Debevoise & Plimpton explain how they helped food delivery business Grubhub avoid a preliminary injunction at the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit