Qualcomm this week continued to rebuild its patent licensing business in China with a new deal with up and coming Chinese smartphone vendor OPPO.
Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm has granted OPPO a royalty bearing patent license to develop, manufacture and sell 3G (WCDMA and CDMA2000) and 4G, including 3-mode (LTE-TDD, TD-SCDMA and GSM) complete terminals.
“Qualcomm is very pleased to sign a license agreement with OPPO,” Qualcomm Technology Licensing senior vice president and general manager Alex Rogers said. “As an R&D engine for the industry, we are excited to see companies such as OPPO build on our patented technologies to drive further development and innovation and create compelling products.”
The agreement comes as Qualcomm continues to strengthen its patent licensing business in China following the levy of a $975 million fine against the company for alleged anti-monopoly violations there in 2015.
In the second quarter 2016, OPPO grew 137 percent year over year to become the fourth largest global smartphone vendor, with 18 million shipments and 5.3 percent of the market share, according to Strategy Analytics figures.
The royalties OPPO will pay Qualcomm are consistent with the terms of the rectification plan submitted by Qualcomm to China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in the wake of those fines, the company said.
During second quarter earnings reporting, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said the company now has more than 110 companies signed up for licenses consistent with the terms of the rectification plan.
But while things in China may be looking up for Qualcomm, the company isn’t out of hot water yet.
Qualcomm is reportedly facing another hefty fine of $879 million (1 trillion won) from South Korean regulators stemming from a 17-month investigation into alleged violations of the country’s fair trade rules.