Canon agrees on NFC licence from France Brevets
France Brevets has granted its first near field communication (NFC) licence outside the mobile phone industry. Japanese optical product manufacturer Canon has agreed to take part in the patent licensing programme. The NFC licence agreement is the sixth between France Brevets and a technology company.
28 May 2019 by Amy Sandys
The agreement between France Brevets and Canon will allow the camera and printer manufacturer to better communicate with other mobile equipment ©Proxima Studio/ADOBE STOCK
France Brevets launched its NFC patent licensing program in 2012. NFC technology allows easy communication and transfer between wireless devices. Since its launch, mobile companies HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony and Huawei have all adopted fee-bearing NFC license agreements.
The NFC programme provides device manufacturers with licences covering NFC-related inventions held by France Brevets, Inside Secure and Orange.
France Brevets is an investment fund and NPE founded by the French government in 2011. Accordingly, it markets and exploits the patent licences of French companies.
Following a period during which France Brevets was highly active as a plaintiff, recently the NPE has kept a somewhat low profile. In February, Düsseldorf Regional Court dismissed a request for a preliminary injunction by France Brevets (case ID: 4b O 106/18). The NPE believes that certain parts of Apple’s iPhone infringe a patent for NFC technology.
Furthermore, France Brevets has recently seen several staff moves. (Co-author: Christina Schulze)
