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Microsoft Makes an Astonishing $2 Billion Per Year From Android Patent Royalties

Posted by Soulskill on from the isn't-innovation-wonderful dept.

mrspoonsi sends this report from Business Insider: "Microsoft is generating $2 billion per year in revenue from Android patent royalties, says Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund in a new note on the company. He estimates that the Android revenue has a 95% margin, so it's pretty much all profit. This money, says Sherlund, helps Microsoft hide the fact that its mobile and Xbox groups are burning serious cash."

2 of 304 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Two billion bucks... by ledow · · Score: 5, Informative

    However the test used in the patent systems worldwide tends to be along the lines:

    "to one skilled in the art".

    i.e. if it's blindingly obvious to someone who does similar work all day long, professionally, every day, then it shouldn't actually be patentable at all.

  2. Re:Gates was on the right track.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Most of the intellectual property (basically just FAT licenses) actually came from the windows division. If you want your phone to plug into a windows machine you pay the short ugly looking character at the bridge.