Nvidia, Intellectual Ventures jointly acquire 500 patents from IPWireless
15 May 2012
Graphics chip maker Nvidia Corp and US patents company Intellectual Ventures yesterday jointly acquired a portfolio of 500 wireless communications patents from IPWireless.
The sale comes just days after General Dynamics said that it will acquire the parent company of IPWireless, which provides 3G and 4G LTE wireless broadband network equipment and solutions.
The patent portfolio comprises approximately 500 patents granted and pending in the wireless communications, including essential concepts in LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G/4G technologies.
Terms of the acquisition, which closed on 30 April 2012, were not disclosed.
Ownership of the patents was split between Nvidia and Intellectual Ventures, with Nvidia licensing the rights to those patents that it did not acquire. As part of the acquisition, IPWireless retains perpetual, royalty-free access to these patents.
"Retaining access to this patent portfolio allows IPWireless to continue developing its market-leading products and serving its customers now and in the future. In addition, IPWireless will continue investing and innovating in 4G LTE and other areas of wireless IP," said Bill Jones, CEO of IPWireless.
