InterDigital, ZTE renew patent licensing agreement

While neither InterDigital nor ZTE has publicly confirmed whether they have renewed their patent licensing agreement, recent patent assignment records published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suggest such a possibility.

PRIP discovered that on March 24, 2025, the USPTO disclosed a transfer of 15 patent families from ZTE to DRNC Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of InterDigital.

This mirrors a historical pattern: in 2019, after a nine-year patent dispute that ended in a licensing agreement, ZTE transferred 25 patent families to DRNC.

Similarly, following Huawei’s second settlement with InterDigital in 2020, Huawei transferred 16 patent families to DRNC.

Earlier this month, InterDigital announced signing a license agreement with "a major Chinese smartphone vendor," with CEO Liren Chen stating deals had been reached with seven of the world's ten largest smartphone vendors.

However, this ZTE renewal clearly isn't among the newly announced major manufacturers.

Historically, InterDigital faced challenges securing Chinese licenses, often requiring protracted litigation to reach settlements. But recent cases suggest transactions are increasingly being finalized through non-litigation channels.

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