After years of fighting in the courtroom, Google and Microsoft have decided that enough is enough. In a joint statement, the two tech giants announced that they have reached a settlement and are ending the 20 or so lawsuits underway in the US and Germany.
Bloomberg reports that much of the conflict has centered around Motorola Mobility, which at the time of Google's acquisition hadn't signed patent deals with Microsoft the way most other Android manufacturers had. Microsoft makes billions a year from Android licensing deals.
Under Google, Motorola was able to fight back with some success. During this period, Motorola wanted billions a year from Microsoft in royalties on the Xbox. The conflict persisted after Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, because Google retained the company's patents.
Going forward, Google and Microsoft have agreed to work together on certain patent matters. One joint issue concerns delivering video over the web. Both are members of the newly formed Alliance for Open Media.
Here is the joint statement, as shared on GeekWire:
“Microsoft and Google are pleased to announce an agreement on patent issues. As part of the agreement, the companies will dismiss all pending patent infringement litigation between them, including cases related to Motorola Mobility. Separately, Google and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on certain patent matters and anticipate working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers.”
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