WiTricity Joins MPEG LA's Qi Wireless Patent Pool

WiTricity joined MPEG LA’s Qi patent pool, giving it “one-stop access” to essential patent rights for the Qi wireless power standard, it said Monday. Other licensees in the pool include Philips, Bosch, Panasonic, General Electric and ConvenientPower. WiTricity owns patents for wireless charging used for the SAE, ISO/IEC and GB (China) standards for wireless electric vehicle charging and for consumer devices, said WiTricity CEO Alex Gruzen. Before joining MPEG LA’s Qi License, WiTricity’s patents were evaluated for essentiality by an independent third party. Essential patents are necessarily infringed in connection with the practice of the Qi standard, it said.