Xiaomi Buys 1,500 Microsoft Patents, Eyes Global Expansion

By Nathan Eddy, EEtimes, Jun. 01, 2016 – 

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi will purchase approximately 1,500 patents from Microsoft as it looks to expand its portfolio of intellectual property, according to a May 31 report in The Wall Street Journal.

In an interview with the Journal, Wang Xiang, Xiaomi's senior vice president of strategic cooperation, elected not to disclose the value of the transaction, but commented on the company's goals behind the purchase.

"Both Xiaomi and Microsoft respect intellectual-property rights," Wang told the paper. "We believe that with this kind of collaboration and also our commitment for the long-term investment in IP, we are going to build a very strong patent portfolio."

As the company attempts to grow marketshare and broaden its reach, Xiaomi must also find ways to differentiate itself from competitors in an increasingly crowded smartphone marketplace.

According to a May report from Gartner, Xiaomi claimed 4.3% of the total smartphone marketshare, rounding out the top five worldwide vendors. In fact, during the first quarter of 2016 the company saw sales rise 20% in the Asia-Pacific region.

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