Samsung Electronics shares more than 100 patents with smaller firms

Samsung Electronics Co. has shared more than 100 patents with smaller businesses as part of efforts to promote shared growth, the industry ministry said Tuesday.

The leading South Korean tech giant transferred 128 patents to 85 companies this year to assist them in developing innovative products and solutions without royalty fees, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Samsung Electronics first launched the program in 2015 and has offered a total of 1,210 patents to 673 companies so far.

The latest set of technologies includes a route recommendation system utilizing users' biometric data, a display control method based on eye movement tracking, and a wireless data-sharing solution between a TV and a smartphone by scanning a radio frequency identification tag.

"South Korea will continue to support small and medium-sized enterprises in developing new products and business models to drive innovative growth through the technology-sharing program," the ministry said in a statement. (Yonhap)