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Dell Agrees To Pay Microsoft License Fees For Android And Chrome OS Devices
Dell is the latest company which has agreed to pay Microsoft royalties on the sales of its Android and Chrome OS based products. Microsoft has had this ‘unique’ patent licensing agreement with other OEMs like Samsung, HTC and Fujitsu. So this question comes up – Why would Microsoft get royalty on products being developed by Google?
According to Microsoft, Google’s Android and Chrome OS make use of their patented technologies. Instead of getting patent licenses from Google and thus spark litigation, the company has been asking OEMs, most of them who have been Microsoft partners since a decade or so, to fork up license fees on every Android and Chrome OS product they sell. Microsoft thinks that this is a great strategy which saves time and legal cases. That bit is true when you consider the Apple vs. Samsung case which has gone on for long and also the complicated software patent ecosystem.
Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Innovation and Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft said the following,
“Our agreement with Dell shows what can be accomplished when companies share intellectual property. We have been partnering with technology manufacturers and vendors for many years to craft licensing deals, instead of litigation strategies.”
Neil Hand, vice president, End User Computing Products at Dell stated,
“Today’s announcement builds on our history of collaborating to bring new technologies to market. The relationship between Dell and Microsoft continues to help Dell deliver choice and flexibility to customers looking for the best technology to meet their needs.”
Dell has been a long time Microsoft partner and the software company recently provided help when it came to make the company private again, following some years of decline. The new licensing agreement also covers Xbox gaming consoles.
Since Android has now grown the become the biggest mobile operating system in the world, Microsoft might end up making a tidy bit of cash from such agreements. Since Android is open source, Google does not really lose money over such deals. However, it is the OEMs and the end consumer who has to pay more due to these licensing agreements.
Source | Microsoft
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Source: http://www.watblog.com/2014/03/28/dell-agrees-to-pay-microsoft-license-fees-for-android-and-chrome-os-devices/
