Microsoft have announced that they’ve signed a patent agreement that will see Microsoft IP in use on HTC Android devices. The specific patents themselves are unnamed – Microsoft only confirm that the agreement “provides broad coverage” across their portfolio – but one assumption is that HTC are hoping to prevent further legal battles such as that currently ongoing with Apple. For instance, Altimeter Group analyst (and SlashGear columnist) Michael Gartenberg reckons that the agreement will redefine the notion of Android being a “free” platform, since device manufacturers will have to take care to protect themselves from litigation.
Updated after the cut (and Update 2 with official Microsoft statement)
“The net is a changed dynamic in the cost of what implementing and OS really is and handset vendors willingness to settle patent claims or go through the hassle of the courts” Michael Gartenberg, analyst, Altimeter Group
Handset manufacturers, that is, or Google themselves; while the search giant and founder of the OHA has said it “stands behind” HTC in the Apple case, it hasn’t yet defined exactly what that support translates to in the real world. Meanwhile, smaller OEMs without HTC’s negotiating clout are likely watching closely so as to gauge exactly what sort of backup they can expect should they put out a pure Android device and then find themselves the target of an IP case.
Update: According to CNET, the licensing deal was indeed a self-protecting one by HTC, with Microsoft apparently ramping up to litigation over impinged IP by HTC’s Android devices.
Update 2: Microsoft have given us the following statement:
“Microsoft has a decades-long record of investment in software platforms. As a result, we have built a significant patent portfolio in this field, and we have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to ensure that competitors do not free ride on our innovations. We have also consistently taken a proactive approach to licensing to resolve IP infringement by other companies, and have been talking with several device manufacturers to address our concerns relative to the Android mobile platform.”