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ZTE Joins Long List of Android Device-Makers Licensing Microsoft Patents
An anonymous reader writes "In its continuing march toward locking up deals with every major Android and Chrome device maker, Microsoft announced on Tuesday a patent-licensing agreement with Chinese manufacturer ZTE. This follows a similar deal last week with the parent company of Foxconn. Microsoft's Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez said, 'Much of the current litigation in the so called 'smartphone patent wars' could be avoided if companies were willing to recognize the value of others’ creations in a way that is fair. At Microsoft, experience has taught us that respect for intellectual property rights is a two-way street, and we have always been prepared to respect the rights of others just as we seek respect for our rights. This is why we have paid others more than $4 billion over the last decade to secure intellectual property rights for the products we provide our customers.'"
Yet they dare not claim Google violates their patents because they know they will get their ass handed to them in court. So they pick on the weak, trying to build a wall of patent licenses to fall back on.
Google doesn't own the infringing code. Google doesn't manufacture the devices. Google doesn't offer indemnity to any Android OEMs. So on that technicality, MS couldn't sue them. Therefore Google was free to rip off Apple and Microsoft's IP and incorporate it into Android, and face none of the consequences. They even had their CEO sit on Apple board to learn from them! Perhaps now you can understand how Google co-opted the language of Open Source to get all of the advantages, but bear none of the responsibility. And BTW, in the case of Motorola you can now say that Google does manufacture the device -- but there's already litigation in progress between Motorola and Microsoft, so Microsoft doesn't appear to be shying from a fight here.
I'm not sure why you are so confident MS will get their asses handed to them in court by Google. What is it about Samsung, HTC, Foxconn, etc. that makes you think they are "the weak" and were defenseless against MS's claims?