Avanci

Last updated
Avanci
Company type Private
Industry Patent licensing
Founded2016;8 years ago (2016)
FounderKasim Alfalahi
Headquarters
Dallas, Texas
Website avanci.com

Avanci is an operator of patent licensing platforms established in 2016 in the information and communications technology (ICT) space and more specifically in the Internet of things (IoT) and broadcast spaces. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] By licensing patents from multiple owners under a single agreement, Avanci provides licenses to standardized technologies for manufacturers in the IoT and broadcast industries. [6] [7] [8] The company is based in Dallas, Texas, operating through offices in Dublin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul. [9]

Contents

As of 2023, Avanci has 57 patent owners in its Avanci 4G Vehicle marketplace [10] licensing their portfolios of eCall, 2G, 3G, and 4G standard essential patents and 61 licensors [11] in its Avanci 5G Vehicle marketplace licensing their 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G standard essential patents. [1] The company has estimated that almost 80-85% of connected cars are under the Avanci license. [12] Patent owners on Avanci's platforms include Ericsson, InterDigital, Nokia, Qualcomm and Sharp. [13] The company also has over 80 auto brands under license across its platforms, [14] including Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Renault, Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo, [12] [15] and its licenses cover over 130 million vehicles. [16]

In 2023, Avanci launched Avanci Aftermarket, a licensing program for vehicle aftermarket products, and expanded beyond cellular communications with Avanci Broadcast, which is focused on ATSC 3.0 broadcast technologies. [8]

History

Avanci was founded in 2016 by Kasim Alfalahi, the former Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson. [17] Ericsson was one of the first patent owners to join the Avanci Vehicle marketplace, along with InterDigital, KPN, Qualcomm and ZTE. [13] Later in 2016, Sony joined as well. [7]

In 2017, BMW became the first automaker to sign a license agreement with Avanci, followed by Volvo, Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen. [17] By 2018, twenty patent owners had agreed to license their IP through the platform, including Conversant, NTT Docomo and Nokia. [18] In 2021, Daimler AG and Jaguar Land Rover joined the platform as licensees. [19] In 2022, General Motors and Ford entered licensing deals with Avanci while LG Electronics and Pantech joined the platform as licensors. [20] In September 2022, Honda, Nissan and Toyota signed licensing deals with Avanci, marking the first Japanese automakers to sign with the company. [21]

In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division reviewed the proposed platform and concluded that the platform was unlikely to harm competition due to its fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) rates and safeguards in place to protect competition. [22]

In August 2022, Avanci hired Marianne Frydenlund from Nordic Semiconductor to lead the creation of new licensing programs for other IoT sectors. [23] Hyundai and Kia also signed licensing deals later that month. [24]

In a 2023 article published in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice , authors Dr. Manveen Singh and Dr. Vishwas H. Devaiah note that standard essential patent licensing in the automotive sector has progressed in large part due to widespread industry participation in the Avanci platform as a one-stop shop for such licenses. The authors also point out that Avanci's model has found favor with courts and regulatory bodies in the U.S. and Europe. [25]

In February 2023, Avanci began offering cellular patent licensing for connected products installed in vehicles after their original sale via the Avanci Aftermarket program. The platform launched with over 40 patent owners, including Ericsson, InterDigital, and Qualcomm, licensing technologies for use in products such as entertainment units, tracking devices in containers, information systems for public transport, and connected devices in road toll stations. [26]

In March 2023, Avanci launched Avanci Broadcast, a patent licensing platform for the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, which was developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee and has been adopted for over-the-air TV broadcasts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Jamaica, among other countries. Avanci Broadcast launched with more than 70% of all ATSC 3.0 declared patent families on the platform from patent owners ETRI, LG Electronics, ONE Media, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Sharp and Sun Patent Trust, and includes device manufacturers that have shipped the vast majority of televisions using the ATSC 3.0 standard. [8] In August 2023, Avanci Broadcast signed its first licensees, Atlanta DTH and ZapperBox. [27]

In April 2023, Samsung joined the Avanci Vehicle 4G licensing program, the company’s first inclusion in a collective licensing platform. [28] In June 2023, Avanci won "Global Patent License Provider of the Year" at the 18th annual Managing IP Awards. [29]

In September 2023, Avanci launched its 5G program for connected vehicles, which through a single license provides access to patented technologies essential for 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G connectivity. The patented technologies include those necessary for vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) connectivity, which enables vehicles to communicate with other smart-enabled vehicles and transportation infrastructure, as well as cyclists and pedestrians. [16] The program launched with 58 licensors. Mercedes-Benz was the first licensee, followed shortly by BMW. [11] Additionally, it was announced in September 2023 that Huawei had joined the Avanci 4G and 5G Vehicle programs. [30]

Leadership

Kasim Alfalahi is the founder and CEO of Avanci. Prior to Avanci, Alfalahi was Ericsson’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer, where in 2015 patent licensing generated $1.7 billion in revenue. [31] After more than 20 years with Ericsson, he left the company to address concerns about unpredictability and uncertainty in licensing fees through the founding of Avanci. [17] In 2022, Alfalahi was named one of the "50 most influential people in IP" by intellectual property publication Managing IP due to Avanci's growth in the automotive patent licensing space. [32] In March 2023, Intellectual Asset Management ranked CEO Kasim Alfalahi number one on its Market Makers 2022 list, which recognizes influential leaders in the patent licensing space, due to the significant number of automakers that joined Avanci Vehicle in 2022. [33] Alfalahi is also a Board Member of St. Mark's School of Texas and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. [34] [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ericsson</span> Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in information and communications technology for telecommunications service providers and enterprises, including, among others, 3G, 4G, and 5G equipment, and Internet Protocol (IP) and optical transport systems. The company employs around 100,000 people and operates in more than 180 countries. Ericsson has over 57,000 granted patents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qualcomm</span> American semiconductor company

Qualcomm Incorporated is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4G, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and WCDMA mobile communications standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3G</span> Third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology

3G is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade over 2G, 2.5G, GPRS and 2.75G Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution networks, offering faster data transfer, and better voice quality. This network was superseded by 4G, and later on by 5G. This network is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

2G is a short notation for second-generation cellular network, a group of technology standards employed for cellular networks. 2G was commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991. After 2G was launched, the previous mobile wireless network systems were retroactively dubbed 1G. While radio signals on 1G networks are analog, radio signals on 2G networks are digital, though both systems use digital signaling to connect cellular radio towers to the rest of the mobile network system. 2G was superseded by 3G technology.

4G is the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, succeeding 3G and preceding 5G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of mobile phones</span> Mobile communication devices

The history of mobile phones covers mobile communication devices that connect wirelessly to the public switched telephone network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Síminn</span> Icelandic telecommunications company

Síminn hf., previously named Landssíminn and Póstur og Sími, is an Icelandic telecommunications company. It offers communication services for both private and corporate clients, including mobile (2G/3G/4G/5G), landline (VoIP/POTS), Internet (ADSL/VDSL/FTTH) and IPTV services. Síminn also operates multiple TV channels and streaming services. Síminn is listed on the Icelandic stock exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile broadband</span> Marketing term

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a tablet/smartphone or other mobile device. The first wireless Internet access became available in 1991 as part of the second generation (2G) of mobile phone technology. Higher speeds became available in 2001 and 2006 as part of the third (3G) and fourth (4G) generations. In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45% lived in areas with 2G and 3G coverage. Mobile broadband uses the spectrum of 225 MHz to 3700 MHz.

UNISOC, formerly Spreadtrum Communications, Inc., is a Chinese fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Shanghai which produces chipsets for mobile phones. UNISOC develops its business in two major fields - consumer electronics and industrial electronics, including smartphones, feature phones, smart audio systems, smart wear and other application fields; Industrial electronics cover the fields such as LAN IoT, WAN IoT and smart display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LTE Advanced</span> Mobile communication standard

LTE Advanced is a mobile communication standard and a major enhancement of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. It was formally submitted as a candidate 4G to ITU-T in late 2009 as meeting the requirements of the IMT-Advanced standard, and was standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in March 2011 as 3GPP Release 10.

In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for mobile devices and data terminals, based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA standards. It improves on those standards' capacity and speed by using a different radio interface and core network improvements. LTE is the upgrade path for carriers with both GSM/UMTS networks and CDMA2000 networks. Because LTE frequencies and bands differ from country to country, only multi-band phones can use LTE in all countries where it is supported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MagtiCom</span> Georgian telecommunications company

MagtiCom, Ltd was founded on February 12, 1996 by Dr. George (Gia) Jokhtaberidze. On September 22, 1997 the Company made the first commercial call from its mobile network. The services offered by MagtiCom involve as follows: mobile telephony; mobile internet ; Cable fixed telephony (VoIP); internet television (IPTV) and fiber-optic internet. Since 2016 MagtiCom started to provide IPTV, VoIP and fiber-optic internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5G</span> Broadband cellular network standard

In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019, and is the successor to 4G technology that provides connectivity to most current mobile phones.

InterDigital is a technology research and development company that provides wireless and video technologies for mobile devices, networks, and services worldwide. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ and is included in the S&P SmallCap 600.

Intel Mobile Communications (IMC), is the mobile research and development division of Intel. It was formed when Intel completed the acquisition of the Wireless Solutions (WLS) division of Infineon early in 2011 for US$1.4 billion. The Infineon subsidiary Comneon was also acquired by Intel and integrated into Intel Mobile Communications. IMC maintained offices in Munich from the Comneon deal under Intel Mobile Communications GmbH. Some other offices in Germany were closed in 2015.

ip.access

ip.access Limited is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets small cells technologies and infrastructure equipment for GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 4G and 5G. The company was acquired by Mavenir in September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airtel India</span> Indian telecommunications company

Airtel India commonly known as Airtel, is the second largest provider of mobile telephony and third largest provider of fixed telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services. The brand is operated by several subsidiaries of Bharti Airtel, with Bharti Hexacom and Bharti Telemedia providing broadband fixed line services and Bharti Infratel providing telecom passive infrastructure service such as telecom equipment and telecom towers. Currently, Airtel provides 5G, 4G and 4G+ services all over India. Currently offered services include fixed-line broadband, and voice services depending upon the country of operation. Airtel had also rolled out its VoLTE technology across all Indian telecom circles.

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is a corporate coalition to develop and promote standardized protocols for automotive vehicles utilizing 5G communications. It serves as a lobbying group for the European Union on behalf of its membership. Their interests are government investments in the widespread deployment of short-range 5G wireless technology dubbed Cellular V2X.

References

  1. 1 2 Kobayashi, Kazuto (12 September 2021). "Emergence of Intellectual Property Ecosystem of Connected Cars and its Analysis". Social Science Research Network. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3921931. S2CID   239129073. SSRN   3921931.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ Gassmann, Oliver (2021). Connected Business: Create Value in a Networked Economy. Springer Nature. pp. 260–261. ISBN   978-3-030-76897-3.
  3. ↑ Muscolo, Gabriella; Tavassi, Marina (17 January 2019). "§20.06". The Interplay Between Competition Law and Intellectual Property: An International Perspective. Kluwer Law International B.V. ISBN   978-90-411-8690-4.
  4. ↑ Bharadwaj, Ashish; Devaiah, Vishwas H.; Gupta, Indranath (23 July 2018). Multi-dimensional Approaches Towards New Technology: Insights on Innovation, Patents and Competition. Springer. p. 65. ISBN   978-981-13-1232-8.
  5. ↑ Kai, Jakobs (30 April 2019). Corporate Standardization Management and Innovation. IGI Global. p. 213. ISBN   978-1-5225-9010-1.
  6. ↑ Greenbaum, Eli (2020). "A Million Unlicensed Pieces: Nondiscrimination Commitments in the Supply Chain" (PDF). L U. Ill. L. Rev. Online.
  7. 1 2 Shinneman, Shawn (September 6, 2016). "Ericsson, Qualcomm, Sony, others sign on with DFW licensing platform from former Ericsson CIPO". Dallas Business Journal . Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Mountain, Rachel (March 7, 2023). "Avanci launches new platform for ATSC 3.0 broadcasting standard". Intellectual Asset Management . Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Contact Us", Company Website , 1 September 2022.
  10. ↑ King, Laura (20 September 2023). "BMW takes Avanci licence after patent pool launches 5G vehicle programme". Juve Patent. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 Dux, Simon (September 19, 2023). "BMW Group joins Avanci 5G connected vehicle licensing scheme". Mobile Europe. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Waldersee, Victoria; Mukherjee, Supantha. "Automakers tackle patent hurdle in quest for in-car tech". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  13. 1 2 Clark, Don (September 14, 2016). "Qualcomm Follows Ericsson's Lead in Joint Patent Licensing". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wild, Joff (21 September 2022). "Avanci 2G-4G patent programme covers over 80% of connected auto market after deals surge". IAM. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Volkswagen reaches 4G patent deal that could resolve Acer dispute, sources say", Reuters, 9 March 2022.
  16. 1 2 Passett, Alex (August 29, 2023). "Avanci 5G Connected Vehicle Program Simplifies Next-Gen Technologies". IoT Evolution. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 Bultman, Matthew (July 5, 2022). "Avanci Is Turning Automakers' Patent Licensing on Its Head". Bloomberg Law . Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Nokia announces it is joining Avanci", IAM , 24 October 2018.
  19. ↑ "Daimler Reaches Licensing Deal With Avanci Over 4G Tech", Law360 , 22 December 2021.
  20. ↑ Wild, Joff. "Ford takes Avanci license in wake of German injunction". IAM. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  21. ↑ "Toyota, Honda to pay connected-car patent fees to telecoms". Nikkei Asia . September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter To Avanci For Proposed Licensing Platform To Advance 5G Technology For Interconnected Automobiles", United States Department of Justice, 28 July 2020.
  23. ↑ Wild, Joff (1 August 2022). "Major Avanci hire signals serious push into new licensing areas". IAM. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  24. ↑ Houldsworth, Adam (25 August 2022). "Hyundai and Kia take Avanci licences ahead of September price hike". IAM. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  25. ↑ Singh, Manveen; Devaiah, Vishwas (31 January 2023). "SEP licensing in the automotive sector: shifting gears too quickly?". Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice. 18 (2): 122–134. doi:10.1093/jiplp/jpad003 . Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  26. ↑ Houldsworth, Adam (February 21, 2023). "Avanci launches Aftermarket programme as part of push into new areas". Intellectual Asset Management . Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ Houldsworth, Adam (23 August 2023). "Avanci signs up first new Broadcast licensees". IAM. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Sandys, Amy (19 April 2023). "Samsung Electronics joins Avanci 4G vehicle licensing programme". Juve Patent. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  29. ↑ namelast, namefirst (22 June 2023). "Managing IP EMEA Awards 2023: the winners". ManagingIP. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  30. ↑ Sholli, Sam (August 17, 2023). "Avanci chief: Huawei joining 5G platform was a 'when, not if'". Managing Intellectual Property . Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  31. ↑ Nordenstam, Sven; Swahnberg, Olof (20 December 2015). "Ericsson signs patent deal with Apple, shares soar". Reuters. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "50 most influential people in IP 2022: MIP recognises Kasim Alfalahi at Avanci". Managing IP. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  33. ↑ "The Market Makers of 2022: top 20 revealed". Intellectual Asset Management. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  34. ↑ "Board of Trustees". St. Mark's School of Texas. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  35. ↑ "President's Advisory Board". UT Southwestern Medical Center. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.