BlackBerry is disposing more of its mobile patents.
Last year, BlackBerry sold 90 patents to Huawei. Now, it’s said that the company is selling more — about USD600 million (around Php30.6 billion) worth to a company called Catapult IP Innovations.
Based in Delaware, United States, Catapult IP was created specifically to acquire and hold patents from BlackBerry. The payment was split into two: USD450 million in cash and USD150 million as a promissory note.
Part of the deal is that BlackBerry will keep a license to use the said patents. This means that its customers will continue to use its services. But, some employees of BlackBerry will have to move to Catapult.
The patents sold are related to mobile devices, wireless networking, and messaging.
As you know, BlackBerry is one of the pioneers in wireless messaging, so it’s no surprise that they own major and valuable patents. In fact, there was a time that its portfolio had an estimated value of around USD2-3 billion. They even sued Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in 2018 for violating its BBM patents.
Going back, the said patent sale is not completed yet as the Canadian government will still have to examine everything to “ensure they are likely to have a net benefit to the Canadian economy, and do not pose a risk to our national security”.
It’s said that the deal has started in 2020 and will take another seven months to be completed.
No word yet if the sale will affect BlackBerry’s comeback, which was announced last year with the help of Onward Mobility.
BlackBerry Phones are being phased out. BlackBerry was once the most valuable corporation in Canada and a global tech force. This week marked the final stage in the company’s demise as a phone manufacturer. You have 10 gift articles to give each month as a subscriber.