While Windows Phone 7 may not be doing as well as Microsoft had hoped, unlike Apple, Microsoft has been more or less content with sitting by the sidelines and try to make money off their competitors through royalties and licensing. One such example is where HTC is currently paying $5 to Microsoft for every Android handset that they sell, and now it looks like Microsoft has added more companies to that pool.
Microsoft has just confirmed that they have reached licensing agreements with both ViewSonic and Acer, companies who are probably best known for their tablets – the ViewPad and Iconia Tab series respectively. The deal will see both companies paying Microsoft royalties on sales of their Android handsets and tablets, and will also cover future Chrome OS devices made by either company.
It was not disclosed as to how much either company will be paying to Microsoft, but personally this seems like a smarter way for competing companies to deal with patents, as opposed to chasing their competitors all around the world seeking injunctions against their products.
Filed in . Read more about Acer, Android, Google, Iconia Tab, Microsoft, Patents and Viewsonic.