Microsoft has once again gotten a company that sells products that use Google"s Android operating system to sign on the dotted line to give Microsoft some money every time one of these devices is sold. The latest such contract is with Nikon, which sells some cameras than run Android.
Microsoft"s press release, as usual, does not give any specific details on the new agreement with Nikon, saying only that Microsoft will receive some royalty payments from the camera company. David Kaefer, the general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft, is quoted as saying, "Microsoft and Nikon have a long history of collaboration, and this agreement further demonstrates the value that both companies place on responsible IP licensing."
Microsoft now has patent license agreements with the vast majority of companies that sell Android-based devices. and nearly all of them agree to give Microsoft money for the patents that those products use. Microsoft has also made similar agreements with a handful of businesses that sell products that use Google"s Chrome OS. As we have reported before, the only major maker of Android products that has yet to sign a Microsoft patent agreement is Motorola, which is now owned by Google.
Source: Microsoft | Image via Nikon