Microsoft and Samsung conclude Android patent agreement

According to Xinhua News Agency, San Francisco, September 28th, the United States Microsoft Corporation announced on the 28th that it has reached a patent cross-licensing agreement with South Korea’s Samsung, which is the largest patent dispute settlement agreement related to the Android operating system. Google quickly stated its position after the agreement was announced, calling Microsoft "blackmail."

Microsoft did not publish the details of the agreement and only said that the agreement "covers a large number of products on both sides." However, according to some US media reports, Microsoft asked Samsung to pay US$10 to US$15 to Microsoft’s patents for each Android smartphone and tablet PC sold. Last April, Microsoft reached a similar agreement with HTC, another Android phone maker.

In its official blog on the 28th, Microsoft said that half of the Android phones sold in the US market last year came from Samsung and HTC. Currently, only Motorola has not yet reached a patent agreement with Microsoft. Microsoft urged Motorola to use Samsung and HTC as references and to "sit down" with Microsoft to resolve patent disputes.

Florian Miller, a well-known US IP analyst, analyzed that Microsoft and Samsung have reached the most important agreement on Android patent right now, and it is even more important than Google’s acquisition of Motorola for US$12.5 billion to obtain a patent.

"If Samsung believes that Google's acquisition of Motorola can improve the current situation of the Android system, Samsung should wait until the acquisition is completed and then cross-licensing with Microsoft. And Samsung probably knows that they can not count on Google, so they chose to solve their own intellectual property rights issues."

As the most highly-respected field in the high-tech industry, the smartphone and tablet industry is plagued by patent litigation. Google’s Android, which is an open source operating system, has been a frequent guest on the defendants’ behalf of patent litigation. A large number of patents are held by Microsoft.

In the 28th blog, Microsoft did not forget Google: "Look at today's agreement. Even Samsung and HTC have reached an agreement. Didn't they point out a clear road?" Google counterattacked in a statement to the media. Says: "We once again saw Microsoft's tactics. They have no advantage in the smart phone market, they use legal means to extort benefits from others' achievements and hinder the pace of innovation."