Google scoops up Foxconn communications patents

Taiwanese electronics producer Foxconn has sold "a number" of its communications-related tech patents to Google for an undisclosed sum, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reports that Foxconn, best known in mobile circles for assembling Apple's iPhone, has applied for 128,400 patents and has been granted more than 64,300 worldwide, though the exact number of patents sold to Google remains unclear.

The move sees Google bolstering its patent portfolio following recent cross-licensing agreements with Cisco and Samsung, as well as its intended sale of Motorola to Lenovo, which would see it retain the smartphone maker's vast patent library.

Source: WSJ

Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.