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HTC Is Paying Microsoft $5 For Every Android Phone

Posted by timothy on from the they've-reached-step-3 dept.

jcarr writes "According to Citi analyst Walter Pritchard, HTC is paying Microsoft $5 for each Android phone it makes. This may be related to a report from last year: MS and HTC sign patent deal. So now we can't even write a free OS?"

3 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Software Patents. by bbqsrc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Software patents need to be abolished internationally, it's that simple.

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    Disagree != mod troll.
    1. Re:Software Patents. by hawkinspeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think you're confusing patents and copyright. They'd still own copyright on the code. Other people would then have been able to write their own implementations which may have been better or worse. It's kind of how the free market is supposed to work.

      --
      You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
  2. What did Microsoft invent? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Trouble is HTC are paying Microsoft for inventions Microsoft didn't make. HTC interface is not the crappy Microsoft one, and the underlying OS predates Microsofts entry into the handset market.

    So what exactly is HTC paying Microsoft for?

    Protection money? That's what it comes down to, MS has convinced them that Microsoft can make everyone's life so difficult that HTC can gain an advantage simply by paying the fee.

    But the B&N challenge shows Microsoft has nothing in its patent portfolio but bluster and vague threats covered with NDAs. That's why MS isn't trying to go after Google directly, rather picking off smaller players.