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LG is the latest to sign a patent agreement with Microsoft for use of Android in phones and tablets

By on January 12, 2012 at 9:57am in Mobile News


LG is one of the major manufacturers that uses Android and they’ve joined a special club today. It was just announced that LG has reached a patent licensing deal with Microsoft for the use of their IP in Google’s Android OS. In a press release today, Microsoft stated the two companies “have signed a patent agreement that provides broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for LG’s tablets, mobile phones and other consumer devices running the Android or Chrome OS Platform.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but LG now follows other Android manufacturers such as HTC, Quanta, Wistron, Velocity Micro, General Dynamics, Acer, Viewsonic and Samsung. It was previously rumoured that HTC pays Microsoft $15 for every handset they sell. In addition, Samsung and Microsoft reached a deal that dished out $10 per handset sold.

Microsoft’s Horacio Gutierrez said “We are pleased to have built upon our longstanding relationship with LG to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Together with our 10 previous agreements with Android and Chrome OS device manufacturers, including HTC, Samsung and Acer, this agreement with LG means that more than 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio.”

Next up… Motorola.

Source: Microsoft
Via: ZDNet

Related posts:

  1. Microsoft patent rakes in more cash from two more Android manufacturers
  2. Samsung paying Microsoft royalties for phones and tablets running Android
  3. Microsoft signs Android patent license agreements with Acer and Viewsonic
  4. Microsoft estimated to rake in $444 million a year from Android patent, report says

Discussion

18 comments for “LG is the latest to sign a patent agreement with Microsoft for use of Android in phones and tablets”

  1. This is a disgrace. I can’t believe I have to pay Microsoft $10 for an Android device. Devices should be sold with Cyanogen pre-installed instead.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 12

    Posted by Phoque Your Asus | January 12, 2012, 10:14 am
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  2. Wait a sec, Microsoft and Android? What does Microsoft have to do with Android? Am I missing something that went down between Microsoft and Google?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 15

    Posted by Kid.Canada | January 12, 2012, 10:15 am
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  3. MSFT is another bunch of greedy bastards!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 11

    Posted by XER | January 12, 2012, 10:20 am
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  4. Cant wait to see how many Fandroid will get mad about this haha

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 17

    Posted by Tommy | January 12, 2012, 10:22 am
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    • Android violates Microsoft’s patents, but that’s okay because they’re doing it in an open way.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 4

      Posted by Brad F | January 12, 2012, 1:38 pm

  5. Who ever said M$ doesn’t innovate? They do, they just wait for someone else to make it and c$sh in! Now M$ stop all this WP7 Mango Tango crap and just use what the people want, more Android!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 8

    Posted by outsider | January 12, 2012, 10:29 am
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  6. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 19

    Posted by Rio | January 12, 2012, 10:33 am
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    • Like how Apple does all the time?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 3

      Posted by ToniCipriani | January 12, 2012, 12:03 pm

    • Where’d apple come from? thats all you guys no? :P

      Either way, last I heard I don’t think Apple pays any one royalties.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

      Posted by Rio | January 12, 2012, 5:51 pm

  7. I have no problem with that. I prefer see companies sing mutual agreement on patent use over sueing other companies trying to destroy them just to be sure to stay on top.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Francois | January 12, 2012, 10:39 am
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  8. I am *no* fan of Microsoft, rather I am an Android fan. However Android has indeed ‘lifted’ patented code/ideas from MS and Sun/Oracle(alleged still but seems very likely). You can’t accuse MS of not innovating if they created the technology in which case they deserve compensation.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2

    Posted by dbzero | January 12, 2012, 11:49 am
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    • Granted, everything MS is doing is in line with current patent law. The problem is patent law itself. As it stands now, it’s impossible to develop an OS without automatically infringing tons of MS patents.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0

      Posted by hd1 | January 12, 2012, 12:14 pm

  9. Being an Android guy, i have no problem with it. Just because the os is free doesn’t mean you can freely distribute patented concepts. Id rather pay ms for their work than have them require google to remove functionality from their os

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Adam | January 12, 2012, 12:02 pm
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  10. As @hd1 already said, MS is operating under current patent law so don’t blame MS for taking advantage of the bad law.

    BTW, “…receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio”, definitely sounds like mafia racket and extortion.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0

    Posted by pasuljko | January 12, 2012, 12:32 pm
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  11. Oh c’mon this is obviously MS leveraging Windows Phone to make LG pay these ridiculous licensing fees. Silly that people can’t see that. Samsung, HTC, LG… all pay licensing… Moto, Sony, don’t. Why? They don’t care about windows phone, so MS has no leverage.

    BN “outed” some of the patents in question, laughable at best. Wouldn’t hold up in court, but MS doesn’t need them to.

    Think people, think.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1

    Posted by emsee | January 12, 2012, 12:40 pm
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    • LMAO!!! Leveraging WP7 to make them pay Android licensing fees? Hardly. If Moto wanted to make WP7 phones, do you really think MS would say no? They need all the help they can get. If anything, it woudl be the other way around.

      M$: “LG, you’re going to pay us $30/droid phone you sell”
      LG: “If you want us to even think of making a device that supports your abysmally selling operating system, you’re dropping that to $5/device”
      M$: “$15 or we sue your a$ses for IP infringement”
      LG: “$10″
      M$: “deal”

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0

      Posted by Adam | January 12, 2012, 4:02 pm

  12. Yup nothing wrong with this. This is how it should work.

    Apple, take notes on how to play nice with others.
    Competition is good as you are painfully finding out. Again.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3

    Posted by Slype | January 12, 2012, 12:54 pm
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    • I think Apple’s already made their point that they’re not interested in playing nice with others who they feel have wronged them.

      Apple didn’t like Psystar using OS X on Mac clones, and they weren’t going to start asking for a licensing fee for something they don’t want anyone else using at all. Instead they went for the kill.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

      Posted by Brad F | January 12, 2012, 1:42 pm

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