The OEM is apparently seeking buyers for a number of patents related to WebOS.
Bloomberg reported on the speculation surrounding information from “people with direct knowledge of the matter”, with the decision said to be down to CEO Meg Whitman attempting to “bolster the company’s financial position”.
The portfolio of patents includes documents related to WebOS, the smartphone and tablet operating system that the OEM inherited after its acquisition of Palm in 2010. After underperforming under then-CEO Leo Apotheker, HP considered selling WebOS and shuttered the Palm division, halting tablet production. WebOS then became open-source software under Whitman, whilst the OEM fired staff working on it before restarting tablet production last year.
Bloomberg noted that recently HP has “removed some restrictive conditions” that made the patents “unattractive” to prospective buyers, with Whitman previously selling the operating system’s code to LG earlier this year, with the patents retained and licensed to LG, though this agreement “would be unlikely to encumber [HP’s] ability to sell” the patents.
When asked about the speculation, the OEM’s spokesman Michael Thacker told the news outlet that “we don’t comment on rumour and speculation”, though Bloomberg states that its story has been sourced through a number of anonymous individuals with knowledge of the potential sale.