Foxconn Signs Massive Android Patent Agreement With Microsoft

Pikoro writes with news that Foxconn's parent company has entered into an agreement to pay Microsoft royalties for every Android device they manufacture, joining a rather long list of companies licensing patents for Android/Linux from Microsoft. From the BBC: "Microsoft has secured a patent deal with the world's biggest consumer electronics manufacturer to receive fees for devices powered by Google's Android and Chrome operating systems. Hon Hai — the parent company of Foxconn — said the deal would help prevent its clients being caught up in an ongoing intellectual property dispute. Microsoft says that Google's code makes use of innovations it owns. Google alleges its rival's claims are based on 'bogus patents.' 'The patents at issue cover a range of functionality embodied in Android devices that are essential to the user experience, including: natural ways of interacting with devices by tabbing through various screens to find the information they need; surfing the web more quickly, and interacting with documents and e-books.'"

Comments

Massive

[jamesl]

Beware all stories with "Massive" in the headline.

Re:Massive

[poetmatt]

eh? there's something massive here, it's called fuel for the antitrust investigation.

Re:Massive or tiny?

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, how can you tell it is "massive". It looks like all details are confidential. It is unclear which patents are involved, what FoxCon gets in return, how much money is exchanging hands, what is really "covered" by the agreement, etc. It might as well be a "tiny: deal, just focussed on "massive" publicity: "We don't really have anything but with patents you can always do some handwaving, so lets put out a press release how good friends we are, generate some publicity to show Microsoft is still relevant and what a friendly company Foxcon is. As long as they spell our names right any publicity is good publicity. Deal?".

wince

[Anonymous Coward]

Before everyone gets in a twist. Remember MS was in the phone market for 9-10 years before iPhone/Android... They may have some patents here. They did extensive work in this field. Also remember patents expire eventually. I remember people walking around proudly with their ipaq's and chicklet wince phones and spouting how the dreamcast runs wince.

Let me put it to you this way. When MS and the OEMs first came out with the WinCE phone people were excited (windows in my pocket). The actual result was awful. However MS was up to basically the 7 or 8th version of wince before iPhone came out (and apple blew them away).

MS put a ton of work into this. Sure it is MS (or M$ as a lot of people like to say). But in this case I think they may deserve a bit of recompense. There will probably be a few of you out there that disagree with me and call me a troll. But I saw the amount of work they put into it. It was blindingly obvious that they worked really hard on it. It just rather bad at what it was supposed to do.

Re:wince

[h4rr4r]

I will disagree with you. Hard work does not mean you deserve to get paid. Lots of people work very hard and produce unpopular products that never make money. This is simply rent seeking.

Re:wince

[TheDarkMaster]

The problem occurs when their patents are pretty vague and broad, saying roughly that "I invented the wheel" when it is clearly a lie. And it becomes even worse in a ridiculous justice system as the USA, where you have to pay dearly for proving that the crook is lying.

Re:wince

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

I would like you to invent something, spend millions of dollars developing it, and then have some other little upstart steal the idea and get rich off your idea without giving you a single dime or line of recognition.

I don't care about liking or hating a company, but I hate the double standard of Slashdot that only certain companies deserve respect and others don't.

There have been, and I can guarantee there will be, Ask Slashdot questions where some little startup or individual wants to find out how to protect their IP or patent, even implement their own DRM. Of course everyone on Slashdot falls over themselves flooding advice on how the "little guy" can protect themselves through patents or copyright, even offering DRM schemes.

But when some large corporation wants the same security with IP they have invested millions or even billions in suddenly the mood changes and everyone on Slashdot demands open, freely exchanged access to IP, free market bullshit, and open this open that garbage.

You can't have it both ways.

Yes, Microsoft has shitty business ethics and guess what, they have been called on each and every one of them and have paid dearly for it. Microsoft is no longer king in any market because of the fallout of their aggressive anti-competitive business ethics in the 80's and 90's. But Microsoft still has a right to protect their IP just like any independent startup, individual, or whatever the current beloved company you feel should succeed more than others.

If Microsoft "invented" something before Android, before iPhone, before any current Smartphone, then they have a right to license and protect that IP, period.

This is how patents SHOULD WORK. Microsoft is being agreeable to cross license their ideas with a company willing to pay licensing to produce products using those ideas. This is the original intent of a patent, to protect the inventor, but allow other companies to use and improve upon the idea..

Instead companies like Apple and Google create a patent portfolio to use as ammunition to slaughter each other in the marketplace. Apple refuses to cross license, and when they do cross license because of consumer pressure or legal action, they demand obscene licensing or royalty fees in an effort to cripple their competition. This is how patents ARE ABUSED.

So yes, no article about Microsoft is ever going to get respect on Slashdot, but I have little respect for double standards. Microsoft has a right to protect their IP and are doing so in a way that allows other companies to succeed off of their past work. Microsoft could be shitheads and refuse to license their IP and thus cripple the Android platform, but I think Microsoft realize that their past IP is about all they have left as they cannot create a winning product in spite of the efforts they made in inventing portions of that product.

Re:wince

[h4rr4r]

These patents are bullshit and you know it. MS is running a protection racket, else they would share the patent numbers without a NDA. MS cannot cripple android by not licensing. All they would do is lose in court.

If I go patent the idea of determining even or odd via mod, that should not get me anything.

Honestly I would be fine with no patents on software.I don't want it both ways. I really want to see IP go away.

Apple is a problem. So far I do not think google has sued anyone, but who knows how long that record will last.

If you don't like it, don't encourage it.

[QilessQi]

If you agree with Microsoft's position, and believe that they're owed licensing fees, fine: just be aware that the cost of the licensing fees is being passed on to the consumer.

If you don't agree with Microsoft's position, one thing you can do is to not purchase from any company participating in such agreements. Even better: purchase from a company that isn't, and send a letter to a company that is, so they understand that they're cutting off their own air supply.

If you want to make something go away, make it unprofitable for the parties involved.

Re:If you don't like it, don't encourage it.

[cdrudge]

If you don't agree with Microsoft's position, one thing you can do is to not purchase from any company participating in such agreements. Even better: purchase from a company that isn't, and send a letter to a company that is, so they understand that they're cutting off their own air supply.

Unfortunately, that's not really an option unless you just don't want a cell phone. The amount of licensing and cross-licensing in the cell phone industry makes it impossible for you to avoid a manufacturer that has a deal with a company you don't agree with their position.

Re:Microsoft loses nothing

[ackthpt]

Microsoft loses nothing because they are collecting for these patents. Likely they are trying to collect enough that even if they lose them in court, their court costs are covered by the patent fees. Meanwhile they have effectively sown a cloud of trouble over Android even though they (microsoft) don't even have anything competitive in this market.

Tl;dr -- it galls me, the chutzpah of these assholes!

This is Microsoft's new business model: World's Largest Patent Troll.

See, even if they lose in the future of technology, they can leech off those who innovate.

Re:Death Spiral?

[h4rr4r]

It is not a good sign for Foxconn either. You never pay the danegeld. I am not suggesting they are near any sort of real danger for now, just that this only makes them less competitive and it only makes MS bolder in rent seeking from Foxconn.

Keep it vague

[Anonymous Coward]

So to paraphrase your post. Basically they tweaked PalmOS.

If their patents had any value, you wouldn't have to cover them with an NDA before listing them. If their patent list can't stand scrutiny then the patents themselves can't have value that stands up to scrutiny.

Normally when Slashdot discusses patents there's a number, the magic patent number, the thing that's remarkably missing with Microsoft. The last one they made the mistake of being open with, was long filenames in a filetable, later invalidated because Amiga had it sooner.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/03/ms-patent/

Re:Massive or tiny?

[Sockatume]

I don't think you understand who Foxconn are. They do the actual manufacturing work for almost everyone in the tech business, from Apple and Motorola to Nintendo and Sony; the aforementioned "clients" they want to shield. In terms of who it affects, it's huge.