Context:
- Via’s Qi Wireless program now represents more than 50% of all standard-essential patents (SEPs) in the Qi wireless charging space, making it the leading licensing solution for companies implementing the Qi standard. In the past year, it has had several new licensees come on board, including Belkin, after it settled a patent infringement dispute with Via licensor Philips (May 13, 2026 ip fray article), Sony (which also joined as a licensor: April 14, 2026 ip fray article), Chinese smart automotive companies Huizhou Longcheer Automotive Electronics (Longcheer) and Huizhou Desay SV Automotive (February 23, 2026 ip fray article), and Korean NPE Intellectual Discovery (November 3, 2026 ip fray article).
- This week, Via is hosting its annual Bridge Summit in San Francisco, which has several panels focused on licensing opportunities in AI technologies (September 28, 2026 ip fray article).
What’s new: China’s OPPO and Japan’s Nidec Mobility Corporation have both taken a license in Via’s Qi Wireless Power patent pool. OPPO had already recently joined as a licensor, and is now also a licensee.
Direct impact: OPPO and Nidec’s participation as licensees expands Via’s increasing collaboration with companies in Asia – and with the latter, in the broader automotive space. OPPO is also the first Chinese mobile handset manufacturer to join the pool as a licensee, marking an important milestone for Via’s Qi Wireless program in China. OPPO’s dual participation reflects the increasingly active role of Chinese companies in global standards-based licensing and helps broaden alignment around efficient, transparent access to Qi standard-essential patents.
Wider ramifications: This news adds to Via’s recent momentum in new licensing areas, including the AI infrastructure and datacenter space. The company last month formally launched the DRAM program (November 18, 2025 ip fray article) after signing several founding licensors, and has shared pricing details, as well as announced plans for an additional AI-focused licensing program, “Media for Cloud Processing” (September 10, 2026 ip fray article).
In a statement today, Kevin Mack, President of Via Licensing Alliance, said his company has seen significant momentum across the Qi program this year, with leading companies joining as both licensors and licensees. Via is “pleased” to deepen its partnership with Nidec and OPPO, which are both important tech companies in Japan and China, respectively, he said.
Mr. Mack also noted that OPPO’s involvement as both a licensor and a licensee reflects the growing collaboration we are seeing with Chinese companies as both IP owners and implementers, and it strengthens the pool’s position in the global mobile ecosystem. This is something Via’s President also highlighted in a recent opinion piece for ip fray (October 2, 2026 ip fray article).
Breaking ground on AI and datacenter licensing
Via identified the gap in the AI licensing market a couple of years ago. Since then, several companies that develop the hardware that underpins AI systems have emerged as key beneficiaries of the AI shift. This includes Micron, which has pointed to AI-driven data center growth as a key driver of record revenues and shipments of advanced DRAM and high-bandwidth memory products (September 30, 2026 Investing article), as well as SK hynix, which stated that industry supply has been unable to keep pace with AI demand (July 10, 2026 Biggo article), contributing to sustained tightness in memory markets. Rambus also reported record revenue and royalty growth driven by the adoption of DDR5 and other advanced memory technologies in AI (July 28, 2026 Yahoo article).
Via’s increased focus on AI is also apparent in its Summit. Today’s conference, which will kick off with a keynote by John F. Duffy, the newly appointed General Counsel and Acting Solicitor of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Chris Israel of ACG, will also have sessions fully dedicated to AI.
The first panel, which will be moderated by former Chief Licensing Officer at InterDigital Eeva Hakoranta (whom we interviewed at Via’s Business Summit earlier this year: March 30, 2026 ip fray article), will focus on IP opportunities in AI and strategies for today’s global SEP environment and will include (in alphabetical order by last name):
- Orange’s Lyse Brillouet (whom we interviewed at another Via event: April 15, 2025 ip fray article)
- Martin Dietz of Fraunhofer
- Jako Eleveld of Philips
Another, entitled “Breaking Ground on AI and Datacenter Licensing”, includes:
- Via’s President Kevin Mack
- Via’s Interim Head of Programs Jerome Ma
- Tim Pohlmann of IPLytics
- Kirti Gupta of Cornerstone Research