Qualcomm has made a major shift in direction with their acquisition of HaloIPT (Inductive Power Transfer) from Auckland University’s UniServices and Arup engineering. As part of this acquisition, the San Diego based wireless giant also gains access to a number of valuable patents covering advanced wireless charging technology. The acquisition is part of Qualcomm’s strategy to develop wireless technology for transmitting electricity.

UniServices, the commercialization arm of the University of Auckland, has developed technology which generates an electric field from a small electromagnetic device that can wirelessly transmit electricity to charge up the power system of an electric vehicle. This technology, which is known as energy induction, is not new. In fact, it was first demonstrated by Tesla in 1893.However, the idea has been getting more attention in recent years as more companies focus on smart energy solutions.

Qualcomm, which up to this point has been best known as a wireless chip manufacturer, will receive all of the patents, technology and other assets of UK based HaloIPT. This start up company claims to be the first in the world to make IPT technology viable for commercial use in charging electric cars. Qualcomm has invited all of the HaloIPT team members to join their European Innovation Development group which is also based in the UK.

The HaloIPT acquisition is expected to further strengthen the Qualcomm patent portfolio and represents a major step forward in boosting their work on wireless power. No dollar value has been disclosed on the deal, but according to UniServices it is the largest technology transfer ever completed by a university in New Zealand.

In addition to the acquisition of HaloIPT patents, UniServices and Qualcomm have also agreed to commit to a long term relationship for the purposes of research and development in the wireless charging technology field, particularly as it relates to charging for electric vehicles. HaloIPT has been able to successfully build on over 20 years of innovation and development at the University of Auckland in the area of wireless power.

HaloIPT was able to commercialize this technology in a short time frame and establish itself as one of the leaders in the cutting edge industry of electric vehicle charging. This achievement has been acknowledged with a number of industry awards for HaloIPT over the last 18 months. Qualcomm is in a position to extend the reach of this technology to many third parties and further develop it as an industry standard.

Microsoft has opened patent talks with Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The talks involve the use of Android in Huawei mobile devices. Microsoft has alleged that certain features of Android OS infringe on patents held by Microsoft.

The company has managed to talk to 10 other smartphone manufacturers that use Android in their devices to sign licensing agreements to avoid litigation. Under the terms of these agreements, the manufacturers pay Microsoft royalties on each device they produce.

The chief marketing officer of Huawei has stated publicly that the company holds over 65,000 patents, which is enough to protect the company’s interests. Shenzhen based Huawei is focused on their goal of becoming one of the top smartphone makers globally within 3 years. It is already the second largest maker of mobile phone network infrastructure in the world, just behind Ericsson of Sweden and ahead of Nokia Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent.

If Microsoft is successful in drafting a patent licensing agreement with Huawei, it would mark the latest licensing agreement between Microsoft and major smartphone developers. Huawei has chosen to launch a global roll out of new smartphones and tablets in the UK in 2012. A decision by Huawei to sign a licensing deal with Microsoft would bring it in line with many of its peers around the world.

Microsoft refused to comment on the status of the discussions with Huawei, but a company spokesman noted that they are pleased with the momentum that their Android licensing program has developed. Currently, Microsoft has inked similar agreements with 10 major manufactures, representing more than half of the Android devices produced worldwide.

Along with the company’s announcement of patent talks with Mircosoft, Huawei has also announced that they plan to open a design center in London. They will be rolling out new phones and tablets in the US, India and Japan over the next year, and the company plans to expand beyond these markets in 2013.
Huawei has set very aggressive targets in their five year plan, which if achieved will see the company ranked among the top 5 global smartphone makers by 2014 and in the top 3 by 2016. However, these aggressive expansion plans are almost guaranteed to step on Microsoft’s toes.

While Microsoft has been able to threaten other companies with litigation in order to get them to sign licensing agreements, Huawei has hinted that they have enough patents to defend themselves in court.

LG has signed a deal with patent house Intellectual Ventures (IV), making it the latest smartphone manufacturer to do so. Intellectual Ventures generates revenues primarily by licensing out its huge patent library instead of using these patents to manufacture its own products. The deal will give LG access to IV patents that will allow it to counter attack against any competing firm which decides to launch an intellectual property suit against it.

This deal reflects a trend that is taking shape in the industry, as many other tech companies are likely to strike similar patent deals in years to come. The spike in breach of patent lawsuits in the technology world has caused firms to look for ways of limiting their exposure through deals with large patent houses like Intellectual Ventures.

Intellectual Ventures is considered by many in the tech industry to be a patent troll, and a notorious one at that. A patent troll is any firm which grows by collecting royalties on patents they purchase from bankrupt firms, research institutes or top universities, without manufacturing their own products. The deal between LG and Intellectual Ventures allows the South Korean electronics company to access up to 35,000 patents in the IV patent portfolio.

The deal gives LG the ability to sue any other companies which are using IV technologies without a formal licensing agreement. This frees up LG to focus on their core business of creating and manufacturing innovative electronic devices without the concern over patent disputes. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it follows on the heels of a similar deal between Samsung and IV last year.

Other major smartphone makers including Research in Motion and HTC have signed similar patent licensing deals with IV in order to avoid potential lawsuits. Korean mobile phone maker Pantech has also signed a licensing agreement with IV, and it seems that among the major phone manufacturers Motorola remains the only one willing to fight IV in court.

Handset makers must weigh the costs of litigation versus the cost of a licensing deal and decide which option is in their best interests. When the cost of the licensing deal is reasonable, the choice is often clear because the cost of fighting it in court can really add up over time. It is notable that Motorola refuses to sign an agreement with IV, in part because Google is an investor in IV and is also planning to acquire Motorola.