It looks like Chinese telecom Huawei may be the next Android device manufacturer to start paying royalties to Microsoft. The BBC reports that they have begun talks on a deal, as Huawei plans to expand into new markets India, Japan and the United States next year, as well as other countries in 2013. With a huge device rollout on the horizon, it looks like Huawei wants to avoid any legal snags, though their marketing director phrased it a bit differently:
"We always respect the intellectual property of key companies," Mr Xu said. "At the moment we have more than 65,000 patents and we have enough instruments to protect our interests."
Huawei joins the ranks of Samsung, HTC, Acer, and others, who Microsoft has given the shakedown, claiming that Android infringes on MS patents. It has been quite the windfall for Microsoft, who Goldman Sachs estimates will rake in $444 million this year from the deals, more than it will make from its own Windows Phone operating system.
Source: BBC
Reader comments
Microsoft in Android-patent talks with Huawei
I really like my windows phone, but really dislike this kind of tactics... =/
It is legal and, unlike patent trolls, Microsoft mostly uses patents that derive from their genuine development activity.Do you dislike Google for stealing shitloads of features from iOS and WP7?
'shakedown' insinuates some sort of illegal activity. protecting patents isn't illegal, it's required.
I did not intend to imply any wrongdoing on Microsoft's part. The image I had in mind was more of "discussing" with other companies, under the thinly-veiled threat of lawsuit. I don't think there is anything illegal about this, but there is certainly a connotation that there may be consequences if a deal is not reached.
As it should be.
I do not think MSFT is acting unethically at all. Take the gentleman from Huawei comment. "We always respect the intellectual property of key companies,".My take on that statement is "unless you are big enough to put pressure on us they we will have no respect for your IP".