Microsoft now collects royalties on 70% of Android devices, gloats about it
Microsoft has been collecting royalties from Samsung and HTC devices for some time now, but today they achieved a new victory in the licensing arena. Through yet another patent lawsuit, they added LG to the list of manufacturers that pay them to use Android.
Not only is this a potential blow to future manufacturers trying to hold out against Microsoft's patent suits, but it also means that the company gathers cash from 70% of all Android devices sold. Now, I have nothing against legitimate and reasonable payouts for intellectual property use. However, as far as I know claims against Android, especially from Microsoft, have been anything but.
Take, for example, a Microsoft prompted ITC injunction against Motorola. It was based on a simple and negligible calendar patent, and until I find out otherwise, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to assume that the patents involved in this current lawsuit were just as trivial.
As if it weren't enough that they now collect more royalties from Android, Microsoft's Frank Shaw taunted Google about the incident on Twitter saying, "Hey Google – we are the 70% #anotherandroidlicense" I can at least understand Microsoft trying to make money from Android in a business sense, but I think that this is simply unprofessional.
I'm really getting tired of these endless patent lawsuits, and I think these kind of results are the perfect example of why they need to stop. I mean, doesn't it seem odd that while manufacturers don't have to pay Google to use Android, soon it looks like they will instead have to pay Microsoft for Google's operating system?
[Microsoft News Center]
