BlackBerry has announced that it has entered into a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement covering their respective products and technologies. As a part of this cross-licensing agreement, BlackBerry will receive a license fee from Cisco. These companies have not revealed how long the long-term agreement will last and also said that terms of the deal are confidential.
Samsung and Cisco signed a 10-year cross license deal and a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement with Google last year.
Regarding the agreement, Mark Kokes, Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing, BlackBerry, said:
Our agreement with Cisco underscores the value companies place on BlackBerry’s broad and foundational patent portfolio. With the agreement in place, BlackBerry and Cisco can focus on innovation and continued technical cooperation, allowing our companies more freedom to create leading products and services for customers without the potential for patent disputes.
Dan Lang, Vice President of Intellectual Property, Cisco, said:
Cross-licensing is an effective way for technology companies to assure freedom of operation and help remove concerns about patent litigation. This agreement recognizes Cisco’s patent portfolio, one that is regularly rated among the strongest in the telecommunications and networking industry. We look forward to continuing to innovate to meet the needs of our respective customers.