Earlier this year, Microsoft hit Japanese phone maker Kyocera with a patent infringing lawsuit. According to Microsoft, Kyocera had not paid Microsoft to license the necessary technologies needed to in order to make their Android handset, something that a lot of other Android OEMs including Samsung have been paying.That was about four months ago and it looks like the legal eagles hired by Microsoft have managed to work their magic again, allowing both companies to resolve this issue peacefully. In a statement issued by Microsoft, “Today Kyocera Corporation and Microsoft Corp. announced they have signed an agreement expanding on a prior patent licensing arrangement. The new agreement enables the companies to use a broader range of each other’s technologies in their respective products through a patent cross license.”
Microsoft also notes that this effectively puts an end to the previous legal battle that both companies were embroiled in. “In addition to strengthening the partnership between the two companies, it also resolves a patent infringement lawsuit brought earlier this year in U.S. District Court. The remaining details of the agreement are confidential.”
Unlike the infamous Apple versus Samsung lawsuit, Microsoft has somehow managed to convince a good many Android OEMs to come on board and license their patents, which for the most part has resulted in Microsoft and other companies staying out of the courtrooms.