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LG To Pay Licensing Fees To Microsoft For Using Android
PerlJedi writes "InformationWeek reports that LG is the latest in a string of companies who have been bullied into paying 'license fees' to Microsoft for the use of Android on their products. 'Microsoft said the deal with LG means that 70% of Android-based smartphones sold in the U.S. are now covered by its licensing program. ... Microsoft does not disclose how much revenue it's obtaining from Android, Chrome, and Linux licenses, but some analysts believe it may be substantial, to the point where the company is making significant profits from the mobile revolution even though its own offering, Windows Phone, commands a market share of less than 2%, according to Gartner.'"
You mean these patents? That is really "years of R&D". Stop trolling, most of that stuff has prior art and/or is obvious. It will not hold water if challenged in court. Why do you think MS was so keen to keep everyone who saw the stuff under strict NDAs?
Not true. Barnes and Noble saw the patents decided not to pay and as a result the patents are now known to be completely ridiculous.
You can't sign an NDA in a situation like this and expect for it to hold up in court if the party decides they want to fight it. For one thing those patents become a part of the law suit and for another no court is ever going to go for the notion that one doesn't have the right to see the patents before opting to settled, consequently there is no legal basis for MS' NDA.