Introduction to patents and licensing
Only a decade or so ago, just having a wireless phone was exciting. Mobile communication today is very different. Cellular is the most impactful technology in the world and more people on earth have access to cellular communication than a bank account. Our innovations have helped enable that transformation.
The industry’s leading patent portfolio
We believe in the importance of patents, and our numbers show it: around 15 percent of Ericsson’s annual global revenue is invested in research and development (R&D), totaling tens of billions of dollars over the past few years. This equates to thousands of years of engineering time each year, by some of the brightest engineers in the world.
Our leading R&D efforts have created the world's leading patent portfolio, with more than 54,000 granted patents. This generates a return on our investment that enables us to continue our ongoing research in technology innovation.
The patent and licensing process
The patent and licensing process is designed to create opportunities for both established companies and new enterprises. Allowing other companies to benefit from Ericsson’s innovations, lowers the barriers to entry and enables new players to enter the marketplace.
1. Early research
Research works in close collaboration across Ericsson, securing our innovations with IPR, in driving open standardization.
2. Standardization and development
Driving global standardization, our commitment to open, collaborative and innovative technology standards enables us to play a key role in shaping standards for future technologies.
3. Patent
Patents and licensing play an active role in advancing innovation and creating industry standardization. This is why we dedicate time and energy to making sure our R&D work adds to our strong patent portfolio.
4. License
Giving fair access to Ericsson standard essential patents enables collaboration and standardization globally across the ecosystem, bringing interoperability, increased performance and lower barriers of entry to new players.
5. Reinvest
Every year, Ericsson invests billions in R&D. The return on our R&D investment through our patent licenses means that we can continue this strong investment and keep driving the innovation of tomorrow.
