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| Photo by Dose Media |
GoPro has announced a new deal with manufacturing services company Jabil. The multi-year agreement, officially announced Thursday, will involve GoPro licensing its intellectual property and reference design to Jabil, which will use it to incorporate GoPro sensor modules and camera lenses into third-party products.
According to the GoPro announcement, the company will reserve approval over any third-party services and products in which its technology is used. The agreement includes an equipment license, ultimately covering “a range of products and services each company offers,” among them being “certain digital imaging and consumer products,” says GoPro.
This isn’t the first time Jabil and GoPro have worked together. Jabil Optics’ vice president Irv Stein calls this new deal “a natural extension” of the companies’ involvement with each other, explaining that the GoPro tech will likely be used in “enterprise” segment:
This agreement is a natural extension of our long-standing relationship with GoPro and our commitment to developing innovative technologies. Early market feedback indicates strong demand in the enterprise action camera segment for applications in smart homes, military, fire, police, rescue, and security.
Additional details about the agreement, including financial numbers, weren’t disclosed. However, the expanded partnership comes at a time when GoPro faces ongoing financial troubles that have resulted in multiple layoffs over past months. Licensing its goods may help GoPro survive its turbulent action camera sales.
Press Release
GoPro and Jabil Announce Global Technology and Equipment License
San Mateo, CA and St. Petersburg, FL, March 22, 2018 – GoPro, Inc. and Jabil Inc. today announced a global, multi-year technology and equipment license. With this agreement, Jabil will leverage GoPro’s cutting-edge reference design and IP to produce camera lens and sensor modules for incorporation into GoPro-approved third-party products and solutions. This agreement builds on GoPro and Jabil’s longstanding relationship.
“This collaborative approach with Jabil will enable innovative, GoPro enabled products and services from some of the most exciting hardware and software companies out there,” said Sandor Barna, GoPro’s chief technology officer. “Imagine a world where video conferencing, robotics, and even self-driving cars are powered by GoPro’s camera lenses and image sensors. Together, GoPro and Jabil can make this a reality.”
This agreement covers a range of products and services each company offers, including certain digital imaging and consumer products. GoPro and Jabil have a history of collaborating to bring high-quality, cutting-edge products to consumers, including GoPro’s line of HERO cameras, starting with HERO4.
“This agreement is a natural extension of our long-standing relationship with GoPro and our commitment to developing innovative technologies,” said Irv Stein, Jabil’s vice president of Jabil Optics. “Early market feedback indicates strong demand in the enterprise action camera segment for applications in smart homes, military, fire, police, rescue, and security.”
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