Context: This year, Via Licensing Alliance will be focusing on scaling emerging solutions such as its new datacenter pool focused on DRAM (LINK), and nurturing some of its young programs, such as those dedicated to Qi technologies, video codecs (EVS and IVAS), and ATSC 3.0, Via’s President Kevin Mack revealed in a recent interview with ip fray (April 1, 2026 ip fray article).
What’s new: Via today announced that Sony has joined its Qi Wireless Power patent pool as both a licensor and licensee, highlighting the program’s “increasing momentum”, it said.
Direct impact: The addition of Sony brings the number of new licensees that have joined Via’s Qi patent pool in the past six months up to seven. They include Korean automotive supplier BH EVS (September 4, 2025 ip fray article) and Chinese smart automotive companies Huizhou Longcheer Automotive Electronics and Huizhou Desay SV Automotive (February 23, 2026 ip fray article). The program, launched in January 2020, now covers over 50% of all standard-essential patents (SEPs) related to Qi wireless charging. In the past six months, Korean non-practising entity Intellectual Discovery also joined as a licensor (November 3, 2025 ip fray article).
Wider ramifications: The Qi wireless market is projected to be worth over $11.4 billion by 2031 (January 2025 IndustryArc report). And, with increasing litigation in the wireless charging space, including in the Unified Patent Court (September 13, 2024 ip fray article), Via believes this reinforces the value of streamlined, collaborative licensing models in the industry. As for Sony’s individual impact in joining this pool: the company is not a major player in the hardware market, but it is significant in the Qi SEP space. Along with Philips, Apple, and Samsung, Sony holds a significant portion of the SEPs in this industry (2025 LexisNexis Qi report).
In a statement today, Mr. Mack noted that, as the Qi ecosystem expands, companies are increasingly turning to “efficient, streamlined licensing models” that reduce complexity and accelerate innovation. He added:
“Bringing Sony into the pool as both a licensor and licensee further strengthens the program’s depth and underscores its role as a leading solution for implementers worldwide.”
Sony’s role in the global Qi market
Sony is a key player in the Qi industry, giving it ample leverage on both sides of the SEP licensing negotiation table.
However, as an implementer, it falls behind Samsung, Qualcomm, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Texas Instruments, which collectively hold 66% of the wireless charging market (February 2026 GM Insights Report). Sony focuses more on the integration of Qi into its own ecosystem (such as in its Xperia phones, cameras, and audio gear) and the automotive sector. In fact, in the latter, Sony provides wireless charging modules for vehicle interiors – the fastest-growing vertical in the Qi market (February 2026 GM Insights Report).
Sony holds a much stronger influence as a patentee, as it is among the top 10 Qi SEP owners in the world (alongside Philips, Apple, and Samsung). The company was also one of the first companies to join the Wireless Power Consortium, the body that oversees the Qi standard, after it was founded in 2009.