Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) struck patent-licensing deals with Acer and ViewSonic, two companies that use Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform, in a continuation of Microsoft's efforts to wring revenue from companies using Android.
Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Microsoft's deal with ViewSonic covers both Android and Chrome OS devices. In a statement, Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's deputy general counsel of intellectual property and licensing, said the company is pleased that Acer and ViewSonic entered into the deals as part of a program "to help companies address Android's IP issues."
As the fervor over mobile patents has grown, Microsoft has set out on a course to strike patent-licensing deals with a variety of Android licensees. Over the summer Microsoft inked licensing deals with four small Android device makers: General Dynamics Itronix, Onkyo, Velocity Micro and Wistron. And the company is targeting larger players as well: Microsoft sued Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI) in October 2010, alleging that Motorola's smartphones running Google's Android platform violate Microsoft patents.
Microsoft inked a licensing deal with HTC last year, and HTC reportedly pays Microsoft $5 for every Android phone it sells. Microsoft has also reportedly been pressuring Samsung to enter into a similar arrangement.
For more:
- see this ZDNet article
- see this AllThingsD article
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