HP has signed a multi-year global agreement for licensing certain WiFi patents from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, the companies announced Wednesday.
It's a sign of adoption of Huawei's technology outside China, despite the U.S. blacklisting the company in 2019, a move that restricted it from working with American suppliers such as Google.
HP stated, "This is a standard-essential patent license covering Wi-Fi technology - something used broadly across the industry and routine for companies whose products connect to Wi-Fi. It is not new, does not represent a broader strategic or commercial relationship, partnership, or collaboration with Huawei."
The deal comes after a patent dispute involving HP, Huawei, and other companies that resulted last fall in an agreement allowing the U.S. company to access a pool of 2,000 patents related to wireless network connectivity. Huawei was one of the founding members of the patent pool, called Sisvel WiFi 6.
The latest global cross-licensing agreement includes "valuable reciprocal patent rights from HP," Steven Geiszler, who represented Huawei in the negotiations, said in a statement.
HP is scheduled to release earnings Thursday morning Beijing time.
