Huawei today released a white paper on innovation and intellectual property (IP), warning against politicizing intellectual property rights.

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Speaking at a press conference at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer, said that IP is the cornerstone of innovation and its politicization threatens progress across the world.

Source: Huawei

“If politicians use IP as a political tool, they will destroy confidence in the patent protection system. If some governments selectively strip companies of their IP, it will break the foundation of global innovation,” said Song.

The 33-page paper, titled “Respecting and Protecting Intellectual Property: The Foundation of Innovation,” elaborates on Huawei’s innovative practices and the protection of IPR.

Source: Huawei

It noted that as of the end of 2018, Huawei has been granted 87,805 patents, of which 11,152 are U.S. patents. Since 2015, Huawei has received over $1.4 billion in licensing revenue. Aside from accumulating patents of its own, Huawei has also paid more than $6 billion in royalties to legally implement the IP of other companies, with nearly 80 percent of that paid to American companies.

“Intellectual property is private property, protected by the law, and disputes should be resolved through legal proceedings,” said Song. He added that in the past 30 years, no court has ever concluded that Huawei engaged in malicious IP theft, and Huawei has never been required by the court to pay damages for this.

Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer (Source: Huawei)

“As always, Huawei is ready and willing to share our technology with the world. That includes 5G. It includes U.S. companies and U.S. consumers. Together, we can drive our industry forward and advance technology for all mankind,” said Song.