Patent research community Article One Partners (AOP) and information provider Thomson Reuters released the findings from a joint study of LTE patent portfolios.
After going through a patent review process, where both looked at all 3,116 patents and pending patents declared essential, as of September 30, 2011, by members of ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), the two organisations found that Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Ericsson have built the strongest LTE patent portfolios, besides also taking a leadership position in future LTE technologies.
Companies use patents as a way to distinguish them from other competitors and also to protect their intellectual property.
AOP CEO and Founder Cheryl Milone said this report indicates portfolio growth through patenting of key trend technologies (e.g., Ericsson, Qualcomm, Samsung and Nokia) and acquisition (e.g., of the Motorola Mobility and Nortel portfolios).
"We expect that the LTE Standards process and litigation resolution over the next few years will result in a licensing regime for the smart phones industry to more closely resemble their forbearers, the telecommunications and computer industries. Patents rarely exclude competition in the long run, particularly where thousands of patents (today, 3000+ under ETSI LTE specifications) can apply to devices, access and content/applications," added Milone.
