(Yicai) Sept. 13 -- Chinese mobile phone makers Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi have overcome their past disagreements and penned a global deal to allow the use of each other's patents, including those involving fifth-generation wireless technologies.

This cross-licensing agreement demonstrates the industry’s recognition of Huawei’s contribution to communications standards and it "allows us to strengthen our research investment in future mobile communications technologies," Fan Zhiyong, head of the Shenzhen-based firm's intellectual property department, said in a statement today.

Xiaomi will continue to respect IP rights and seek win-win, long-term sustainable IP partnerships, said Xu Ran, general manager of the Beijing-based company's strategic cooperation department.

The move marks a change in the wind. In January, Huawei filed a complaint with the China National Intellectual Property Administration, claiming that Xiaomi had infringed on four of its Chinese patents, covering the 4G Long-Term Evolution standard, camera, and unlocking technologies. Consequently, Xiaomi lodged a request to invalidate the four patents. The CNIPA conducted oral proceedings from May to July, but the request has not gained support.

Xiaomi has 29,000 patents around the world, and over 10,200 of them are global, according to a white paper released in December 2022. The firm conducts research and development in 12 sectors, including 5G, Big Data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

In comparison, Huawei held more than 120,000 authorized patents globally as of Dec. 31, 2022, after investing nearly CNY1 trillion (USD137.2 billion) in R&D over the past 10 years.

Huawei is the biggest 5G innovator in the world as its 5G patents account for almost 15 percent of the global total, while Xiaomi ranks 10th with a share of 4.1 percent, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Editor: Emmi Laine