高通缘何收购惠普海量专利

    高通（Qualcomm）于周四宣布，从惠普（Hewlett-Packard）收购约2,400项专利（和未决专利申请）。

    这笔交易并没有大张旗鼓地进行——官方声明仅有98个字，但它不仅进一步巩固了全世界价值最高的半导体公司在移动知识产权方面的实力，也让正在寻求新突破口的科技业巨头惠普公司获得了大量现金。（具体的收购价格并未对外公布。）

    高通这次收购的专利包括名不副实的PDA公司Palm， iPAQ掌上电脑项目，以及惠普2006年收购的移动设备管理公司奔峰（Bitfone）。约有1,400项专利和未决申请来自美国，另外1,000项专利与未决申请来自其他国家，大部分专利都和核心手机操作系统技术有关。

    手机操作系统才是高通真正感兴趣的技术。高通在日新月异的移动设备行业大获成功，其中约三分之二的利润实际来自无线技术授权业务。目前市面上出售的几乎每一部智能手机都要向高通支付专利使用费。从惠普收购的专利无疑进一步增强了这项业务，让它可以有更多收入用于新业务投资，并在与老对手英特尔（Intel）的竞争中保持领先。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    Qualcomm (QCOM) announced on Thursday that it acquired some 2,400 patents (and pending patent applications) from Hewlett-Packard (HP).

    The deal was announced quietly -- the official statement was only 98 words in length -- and gives the former, the world's most valuable semiconductor company, a more formidable position in mobile intellectual property and the latter, a technology giant seeking a third act, a presumably sizable infusion of cash. (The purchase price was not publicly disclosed.)

    The portfolio includes patents from Palm, the fabled PDA company, as well as the iPAQ pocket PC project and Bitfone, the mobile device management company acquired by HP in 2006. About 1,400 patents and pending applications are from the U.S. and about 1,000 patents and pending applications are from other countries, mostly pertaining to core mobile operating system techniques.

    Which is precisely why Qualcomm is interested. For all of its successes in the growing mobile device business, about two-thirds of the company's profits actually come from its wireless technology licensing business. Qualcomm collects royalties on nearly every modern smartphone sold on the market today. The addition of HP's patents strengthens that business even more, giving it additional income to reinvest in new businesses and keep ahead of rival Intel.