When HP sold webOS to LG, it kept Palm’s mobile patent portfolio and webOS cloud services. Two companies agreed on a licensing deal instead, that would allow LG to make webOS-based products (TVs) while paying royalties to HP.
The good news for HP is that it can still sell those patents to third parties, and that’s apparently what it’s trying to do now. According to a Bloomberg News report, the company has removed some conditions that would make the patents less attractive and is now approaching potential buyers. We’re not sure who these buyers are, and the chances are we won’t know until the transaction is completed.
HP acquired Palm along with webOS in 2010, and had hard time releasing products afterwards. The platform was used in the updated HP/Palm Pre and in the HP TouchPad tablet, both of which failed to gain any “serious traction” in the market. HP even tried to make webOS open-source but that hasn’t helped much.
Then in February of this year, HP sold webOS code to LG, which will use it as a smart TV platform. We still wait to see the first webOS-powered smart TV, though…
[Via: TheVerge]