Materials firm Umicore has agreed a third patent deal to acquire US technology firm 3M’s lithium-ion cathode IP.
The latest deal sees the Belgian firm acquire the ownership of three Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) patent families for cathode materials collectively covering South Korea, China, Japan, Europe and the US.
Umicore obtains all existing and future licensing rights to the patents (US6964828, US6660432, US7211237) previously practised under license from 3M.
The deal also sees Umicore take over all rights and responsibilities with the existing licensees of 3M.
Kurt Vandeputte, vice-president Business Team for Umicore’s Rechargeable Battery Materials activity, said: “The NMC battery materials technology covered by these patents is a clear reference in the industry and is being incorporated in the majority of batteries for electrified vehicle platforms being launched today and in the near future.
“We will also continue our successful technology co-operation with 3M to further improve the overall performance of the lithium-ion battery system.”
The latest contract follows a similar deal in September, 2010, when Umicore licensed patents US6964828, US7078128 to access a family of NMC cathode material compositions for manufacture and sales to lithium ion battery manufacturers.
A year later 3M and Umicore entered into a second technology license agreement. This deal involved Umicore licensing a family of low cobalt NMC cathode material compositions for lithium-ion battery manufacturers.
Last year we reported how Umicore was set to spend $181 million on expanding its NMC production facilities in China and South Korea.
