Wireless Power Consortium

Setting the international standard for interoperable wireless charging

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The sign of interoperability

Information for Developers

Specifications

The Qi low power specifications consist of 3 documents:

- Part 1, Interface Definition. This document defines the interface for contactless power transfer between a power transmitter and a power receiver, based on near field magnetic induction between coils.
- Part 2, Performance Requirements. This document defines performance requirements for power transmitters and power receivers.
- Part 3, Compliance Testing. This document defines the compliance test procedure for power transmitters and power receivers.

Part 1 is currently available for members only. It will be made available to non-members, as download from this website, on August 30, 2010. Part 2 and Part 3 are available for members only.

Certification

Products that claim compliance with the specification will need certification by an independent test laboratory. The certification procedure is described in the Qi logo license agreement.

Logo trademark license

You need a trademark license to use the Qi logo on any product or in commercial documents. The terms and conditions for the Qi trademark license are described in the Qi logo license agreement. A review copy of that agreement is available as download from this website.
The main points of the logo license agreement are: 

  • The logo license is available only to members of the Wireless Power Consortium. 
  • Licensees do not have to pay a fee for use of the logo, other than the normal membership fee of 10,000.- Euro per year. 
  • Self-certification is not allowed in the first year after release of the specification. All products must be certified by an independent test lab.  
  • Products that are substantially similar to a previously certified product don’t need re-certification.

Patent licenses

Products that implement the wireless power specifications may infringe patents owned by members and non-members. You may need patent licenses for implementing Qi-compliant products.

- Royalty-free patent licenses for low power receivers

Members will not charge royalties for patents that are essential for implementing low power receivers. A wireless power receiver is a ‘low power receiver’ when it is a consumer product, such as a mobile phone or battery, capable of receiving no more than 5 Watt from a wireless power transmitter. These royalty-free licenses are available until 2014. After 2014, royalty-free licensing will continue if the market has reached a total installed base of 50 Million receivers by the end of 2014. This paragraph is an informal summary of the license conditions for low power receivers. The membership agreement (also called the Consortium Charter) contains the details. You can download the latest version of the membership agreement from our website.

- Patent licenses on RAND terms for transmitters and other receivers

The members have agreed to license their patents on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. Although none of the member companies have announced detailed license terms yet, the members agree that RAND terms and conditions will be determined such that they promote adoption of the Qi standard and rapid growth of the market. This paragraph is an informal summary of the intellectual property rules of the consortium. The membership agreement (also called the Consortium Charter) has the details. You can download the latest version of the membership agreement from our website.