Avanci announced that it has signed a patent license agreement with BMW Group that will to a large extent be handled through its supplier for telematics units, providing them access to the essential wireless technology of many different telecommunication and patent holding companies.
Founded in 2016, Avanci is headquartered in Dallas, and has a vision that sharing technology, on a broad scale for the Internet of Things industry, can be simpler. Its one-stop solution keeps the success of the ecosystem squarely in sight, bringing convenience and predictability to the technology licensing process.
In the new marketplace, those with essential patents can share their innovations, and companies creating connected products for the Internet of Things can access the patented wireless technology they need to be successful – in one place, with one agreement and for one fair, flat rate.
As part of Avanci’s mission to streamline patent licensing for the Internet of Things, it provides license rights to 2G, 3G and 4G essential patents at a fair, flat rate that is the same for all vehicles regardless of the price and the number of telematics units installed. This rate will not increase over the term of the license, no matter how many additional patent owners join the platform in the future beyond the 11 companies that have joined the platform to date.
“Our agreement with BMW Group and its supplier demonstrates our commitment to finding a common ground between the different industries that must cooperate together in the Internet of Things,” said Kasim Alfalahi, founder and chief executive officer of Avanci. “Ultimately, we’re committed to provide a simpler way to handle licensing in the IoT space by taking into account both patent owners’ and IoT device manufacturers’ business models to increase certainty, reduce risk and streamline technology sharing for all involved.”
Earlier this year, Avanci announced that Vodafone, Panasonic and Sharp will license their patents through the Avanci licensing platform for Internet of Things products, initially focusing on connected cars and smart meters. By adding the entire portfolio of standard essential 2G, 3G and 4G wireless patents from these leading innovators to its joint license offering, Avanci continues to build momentum in the growth of its licensing platform and has now more than doubled the number of patent owners in its marketplace from five at its initial launch last September to eleven today.
The addition of these new patent owners demonstrates increasing industry support for Avanci’s open platform licensing model. Through Avanci, companies making IoT devices can receive a license to many different companies’ intellectual property in a single transaction with transparent and reasonable prices.
The global network of patent owners that participate in Avanci, which includes network operators, chip vendors, infrastructure manufacturers, consumer device companies and licensing entities, will receive a fair return on their investment in developing the wireless technologies that enable the IoT.
