China's Huawei, US PC maker HP sign multi-year Wi-Fi patent deal

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ReutersChina's Huawei Technologies said on Wednesday it had reached a multi-year ​cross-licence agreement with HP Inc, covering patents ​used in Wi-Fi technology, including the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard.

HP said the agreement was a routine licence for technology ‌used broadly across ⁠the industry, ⁠rather than the start of a wider commercial relationship with the Chinese technology company.

"This is a standard-essential patent licence covering Wi-Fi ​technology," an HP spokesperson said. "It is not new, and does not represent a broader strategic or commercial relationship, partnership, ​or collaboration with Huawei."

Standard-essential patents cover inventions that companies may need to use in order to make products compatible with an industry standard, such as Wi-Fi. Such licences are common for makers of computers, printers, ​phones and other devices that connect to wireless networks.

The agreement shows ⁠Huawei remains ‌an important holder of patents used in global wireless standards, despite U.S. restrictions ​requiring U.S. carriers ​to remove their equipment from U.S. networks.

Huawei has expanded ⁠its patent portfolio and licensing business in recent years, reaching settlements with ​companies including Amazon. It has said it is among the leading holders ​of patents needed to implement Wi-Fi 6, the prior generation of the wireless standard.

Huawei has set a fee of 50 cents for each consumer device using its Wi-Fi 6 technology. More than 1.6 billion consumer electronic devices, excluding mobile phones, had used Huawei's Wi-Fi-related inventions by the end of 2025, the company said.

Wednesday's agreement follows a lawsuit Huawei filed against HP at Europe's Unified Patent Court in August 2025, ‌accusing the U.S. company of using a Wi-Fi 6 patent without permission, according to intellectual-property publication IAM.

HP joined the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool in November 2025, ending ​legal actions against ​it by Huawei and Philips. ⁠The pool gives companies access through a single agreement to about 2,000 patents considered necessary for Wi-Fi 6 products.

Huawei said the new direct deal covers a broader set of its Wi-Fi patents, including Wi-Fi 7.

Huawei ​has faced U.S. trade restrictions since 2019, when Washington added the company to a trade blacklist that generally requires suppliers to obtain government approval before providing certain U.S.-origin technology.

The restrictions have limited Huawei's ability to buy advanced semiconductors and crucial software, but do not automatically bar patent-licensing agreements.

HP, based in Palo Alto, California, was the world's second-largest PC maker with a 21.3% market share, behind Lenovo, according to Gartner data.

(Reporting by Che Pan and Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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