IBM and Samsung announce a cross-licensing pact

IBM AND SAMSUNG have signed a cross-licensing pact so they can dip into each others' patent portfolios.

The two technology firms announced the patent deal yesterday and said that cross-licensing means that they can provide better products and services.

The companies kept a lid on specifics about the terms and conditions of the agreement but both already have massive lists of registered patents to work with. As it often does, IBM had the biggest list of new patents granted last year.

"This licensing agreement will help both companies expedite innovation and achieve business growth by providing each company access to the other's patents for basic technologies," said Samsung's EVP and head of its IP Center, Dr Seungho Ahn.

IBM was keen to add to the collaborative patent fanfare, saying, "Patents also allow us establish cross-licenses, which provide IBM and partners like Samsung with significant freedom of action, which is essential in the competitive global business environment."

Big blue and Samsung had already announced earlier this year that they would work together on research into semiconductor materials. The INQUIRER reported in January that the companies would use each other's technologies to develop semiconductor process technology for applications in smartphones and communications infrastructure.

In a world of technology patent trolls and vendors circling around each other with patent lawsuits, cross-licensing deals are business as usual. Big technology vendors can work together on free, open source collaborative products but cross-licensing is the best scenario for proprietary technology. µ