Microsoft licensing

Microsoft on Sunday -- you know, day press releases are typically sent out -- announced it had reached a patent licensing agreement with Compal over its tablets, phones, e-readers and any other devices using Android or Chrome. Microsoft will receive royalties, though neither company said how much cash is changing hands.

It's just the latest in licensing deals for Microsoft, including Quanta, Samsung, Acer and Viewsonic and HTC, among others.

Source: Microsoft


Reader comments

Microsoft signs Android licensing deal with Compal


this is slightly depressing...but considering how much people are making on sure they DO NOT care :)
plus we need MS around...I`m a certified microsoft guy myself :)


They won't care- they'll simply pass the licensing costs onto their customer, via reduced features or slightly higher price.

These patent shakedowns need to stop. Those who can't compete, litigate.

I guess its just easier to pay a few bucks on each Android device than it is to have your MS software licenses audited or to have the cost of your Windows site licences increase... Too bad no one will step up and say no and force MS to show the patents publicly. But what happened to Barnes and Nobels? They said no and it seems like that case mysteriously went away. I also wonder if they will go after Amazon who may have less of a Windows footprint for MS to threaten.

Barnes & Noble is on going. They just refused to cave until M$ showed the patents. So good for them for demanding full disclosure.

Are they going to force a public disclosure of the patents though? They are going to have to stand very firm to get around that NDA and I'm sure it would mean increased MS licensing costs for them.

I hope B&N sticks it out for the good of everyone. I've been waiting for years to see exactly how M$ feels the Linux kernel is in violation of their patents. Also wondering if there's anything else Android-specific about these recent patent claims, or if they're just going after them because Android is currently one of the most profitable implementations of the kernel.

Google should address and/or change whatever patent it is infringing upon that is allowing M$ to collect these royalties. Unless these deals are all somehow hardware related and out of Google's control. It is pretty interesting that Microsoft is probably making more money in Android royalties than they are with Windows 7.

Google cannot change them because neither Google nor anyone else not directly involved in each deal knows what patents are in play. The deals are always hidden behind an NDA so that the licensing party can't tell anyone anything about it. This is why many in the Linux community believe the patents are weak if they even exist at all. Its quite possible MS walks into these deals saying we don't have any patents to show but if you don't smile and play along we are going to make some interesting changes to your Windows licensing. I think people forget that for the most part Microsoft has each and every company in the world by the balls because of their use of Windows on the desktop, their office software and corporate email.

I have a feeling this is a really bad move for MS if they continue to do this, they are building up a really bad image to their customer's mind. The way Google is handling this issue in silence tells me that once when the strike, MS will not have a chance to withstand.

True. To most people, Microsoft is just the people that make Windows. That will change if they hear about all of this patent B.S. The comment someone made above is probably right: they are probably making more on royalties from Android patents then they are on Windows phones.

What's the endgame here? Because it sounds an awful lot like Microsoft getting Android surrounded in preparation for going for the throat. If all of these suppliers are caving, that would help Microsoft in court by showing that all of these other companies de facto agree that there is infringement and have entered into legal agreements to that effect. And why would you only go after the third parties? You wouldn't. That's pocket change. But to take on Google, you'd need mountains of cash, the best lawyers, a rock solid case, and plenty of time. They've got three out of four of those for sure. It sounds like they're shoring up the fourth.

Considering what Microsoft is doing, I think that image needs to be of Lloyd bent over and, well, I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

That's definitely what Microsoft's (trying) to do to Android.

Does this mean future lawsuits are to come? Microsoft could be bashed a bit, I dont mind google becoming skynet (they have a better moral base)