Android/Patents: Microsoft signs with LG Electronics

Microsoft continues to sign agreements to obtain licensing rights for Android and Chromes OS products. This time, it’s a big fish that has fallen into the royalties net: LG Electronics.

After having negotiated licensing agreements with most Taiwanese OEM/ODM electronics manufacturers that use the Android and Chrome operating systems, Microsoft continues their quest to claim royalties from large companies.

While so far nothing seems to have come from discussions with Chinese group Huawei, it’s with the world’s third largest smartphones manufacturer, LG Electronics, which Microsoft has now finalised a new licensing agreement to receive a royalty payment for each Android smartphone or tablet that is sold.


Long live Android
As always, nothing has been released about the financial details of this agreement, with Microsoft simply applauding this agreement while pointing out that "this agreement with LG signifies that more than 70% of all Android smartphones sold in the United States are now covered by Microsoft’s range of patents".

This is just another reminder of the importance of intellectual rights across Google’s mobile platforms with it benefiting from strong sales growth of Android smartphones. We can note here that LG Electronics is also a Microsoft partner for their own Windows Phone platform, with direct links between the two companies being longstanding. Could it be that good business makes good friends?