Powering countless different models of smartphones and tablets, Qualcomm holds a very stable position in the mobile market. The company has now bolstered that position with the acquisition of roughly 1,400 patents.
Qualcomm's haul comes courtesy of HP, which sold a portfolio that includes patents covering Palm, IPAQ and Bitfone patents from around the world. The deal includes 1,400 granted patents and pending patent applications from the U.S., as well as 1,000 patents and pending patent applications from other countries.
Details of the acquisition were not discussed, although news of the deal does not come as much of a surprise. Qualcomm already has a pretty strong patent portfolio, and former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein sits on the board of Qualcomm. HP acquired Palm nearly four years ago, in the spring of 2010. The acquisition came just one year after Palm announced the Palm Pre with its new WebOS operating system. HP sold WebOS to LG several months ago, which is now integrating the OS into its smart TV offerings.
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