Fingerprint Cards strikes deals for biometric wearable, IP licensing

Fingerprint Cards has signed its first-ever deal to license a patent to an organization it describes as a “major global company.”

The patent license agreement appears to relate to technology adjacent to its core focus area of biometrics.

Most of Fingerprint Cards’ 700 registered patents in its portfolio relate to biometric algorithms, image processing, sensors and hardware packaging. A small number, including the patent licensed under the new agreement, relate to “secure information aggregation,” Fingerprint Cards CEO Adam Philpott says. “This technology enables users to seamlessly view, manage, and interact with information from various sources in a uniform manner. We’ve assessed products from various companies that we believe will require a license for this non-biometric patent portfolio, and we will continue our efforts to monetize this asset.”

The company’s New Business unit, created last July, was formed in part to take greater advantage of Fingerprint Cards’ existing intellectual property. 

Interestingly, Philpott also notes that Fingerprint Cards has recently “found clear evidence that some smartphone players are using a part of our biometric patents portfolio and we will proceed with our efforts also in this area, where we see a meaningful monetization opportunity.”

Those monetization opportunities could come in the form of a new licensing agreement, or potentially legal action.

The promise of future monetization from existing IP suggests that Philpott, who took the CEO role shortly before the New Business unit was established, believes Fingerprint Cards was leaving money on the table by not adequately protecting its IP rights.

Biometric badge for Europe’s medical and IoT markets

German biometric wearables startup Infrafon is collaborating with Fingerprint Cards on the development and launch of a new multifactor authentication solution targeted at select markets in Europe.

The Infrafon SmartBadge CC1-SEC features a fingerprint sensor, software and algorithms from FPC, and supports popular protocols for physical and logical access like FIDO2 and eIDAS, according to a company announcement. The partners say it can provide zero-trust access control with convenient biometric authentication.

“Infrafon Smart badge is a new type of device between SmartCard and Smartphone where a connected Smart Badge allows both visual and eID,” explains Infrafon Founder Frieder Hansen. “It is used to access NFC or Bluetooth operated doors, devices and access to PCs. It also helps organizations to digitalize their workflows with ease to manage microprocesses. We are pleased to have established a strong partnership with Fingerprints, where we share an innovative vision on biometric physical and logical access control. Targeting the health care and large enterprise industries, will make this product a convenient and seamless authentication solution for end users.”

Philpott says the combination of MFA with his company’s biometric technology allows organizations to meet the threat of data breaches, phishing and other attacks head-on.

The biometric smart badge has been nominated for the “Best Cybersecurity Solution” award at the IoT Solutions World Congress Barcelona’s Industry Solution Awards.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  fingerprint sensors  |  Infrafon  |  licensing  |  patents  |  research and development