Microsoft and Google may be huge rivals in business but it appears that Microsoft now has a huge vested interest in seeing at least some products based on Google"s Android-based operating system success. In May it was revealed that Microsoft reached an agreement with HTC that will net Microsoft $5 for every sale of HTC"s Android based phones due to patent agreements. Earlier this week Microsoft announced it has signed a similar patent agreement with rugged PC maker Itronix.
This week Microsoft announced a third such deal, this time with Onkyo Corporation. Like HTC"s deal, Microsoft will now receive royalites from the sales of Onkyo"s tablets that running the Android operating system. Specific financial terms were not disclosed in the press release. However it does quote Horacio Gutierrez, the corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft, as saying, "We are pleased that Onkyo has taken advantage of our patent licensing program for Android devices and has signed this agreement.This agreement and similar agreements recently announced evidence the momentum and success of our licensing program."
It"s looks like Microsoft is aiming to make as many of these kind of patent agreements as they can, especially since the Android operating system continues to be a popular choice for many smartphone users. Of course Microsoft is trying to get more phones to use its Windows Phone 7 OS and its likely that Microsoft will be trying to get its upcoming Windows 8 OS in future tablets.