Redmond, Washington — In a latest turn of events, software monopolists Microsoft has scored another key patent-licensing deal in the Android environment. The software maker on Thursday said that it has endorsed a patent licensing deal with LG under which the South Korean electronics manufacturer will pay license fees in exchange for Microsoft’s pledge not to sue it for using Google’s Android and Chrome OS software in its products, Microsoft announced in a Thursday press release.
Although neither company disclosed financial details of the agreement, similar pacts have seen manufacturers paying Microsoft royalties for each Android device created. Microsoft has long argued that certain components of Android and Chrome OS violate its patents, and has struck licensing deals with numerous vendors that use the Google mobile and desktop software in their gadgets.
“We are pleased to have built upon our longstanding relationship with LG to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group, wrote in a Jan. 12 statement posted on Microsoft’s Website.
In addition, this latest agreement with LG brings the total count of licensing agreements Microsoft has with OEMs of Chrome OS- and Android-based devices to 11.
Previously, the Redmond Vole has signed similar agreements with companies including HTC, Samsung, Suanta, Copal Electronics, and Wistron. Microsoft in October reached an agreement with Copal, which it said secured it patent deals on a majority of Android and Chrome devices on the market.
The software giant said the deal with LG means that 70% of Android-based smartphones sold in the U.S. are now covered by its licensing program. “We are proud of the continued success of our program in resolving the IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome OS,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez also expanded on his remarks via Twitter.
“How should the smartphone industry resolve IP disputes in the software stack? Let’s try licensing,” he tweeted.
Microsoft rolled out its IP licensing program in 2003, and until now has struck more than 1,100 deals. Other companies that are paying Microsoft for the right to use Android or Chrome in their products without fear of a lawsuit from Redmond include HTC, Samsung, Acer and others. That figure is growing rapidly: back in September, Microsoft announced that it had 700 licensing agreements in place.
“The commercial fact is that patent licensing is still the established way to resolve intellectual property issues,” patent blogger Florian Mueller explained in a blog post.