Canada's Wi-LAN Inc. said Tuesday that it has licensed its
just-acquired Qimonda patent portfolio to consumer-electronics
giant Samsung Electronics Co. for undisclosed terms.
The Ottawa patent-licensing firm acquired the Qimonda portfolio
on Tuesday from German chip maker Infineon Technologies AG. It
called the $33 million purchase its most important patent
acquisition to date.
"Portfolios of this magnitude and quality rarely become
available and it is always an important event in the patent world
when one changes hands," Wi-LAN Chief Executive Jim Skippen said in
a statement.
The multiyear licensing deal with Samsung is welcome news for
Wi-LAN, which lost a key patent case related to LTE technologies
against Apple Inc. last fall. Wi-LAN's stock fell 9.9% in the first
trading session after the ruling was announced.
In recent trading in Toronto, Wi-LAN was up 13.2% to 3.01
Canadian dollars ($2.40).
Wi-LAN projects the Qimonda patent portfolio will generate more
than $100 million over its average life of about eight years,
company spokesman Tyler Burns told The Wall Street Journal.
Wi-LAN generated revenue of $98.3 million in 2014.
It said it now expects revenue for the current second quarter to
exceed $34 million, up from its previous guidance of at least $18.3
million.
The Qimonda portfolio comprises more than 7,000 patents and
applications, and includes technologies related to DRAM, FLASH
memory, semiconductor processes, semiconductor manufacturing,
lithography, packaging, semiconductor circuitry and memory
interfaces, Wi-LAN said.
Write to Carolyn King at carolyn.m.king@wsj.com
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