Amid mounting pressure from competition regulators, Microsoft will scrap a clause in its licensing contracts with PC manufacturers that prevents them from enforcing any hardware patents they have that may have implications for software. The so-called non-assert clause will be removed from all licensing agreement renewals for the Windows operating system from August of this year, Microsoft spokesman Tom Brookes said Monday.
"We recently reviewed this provision again after receiving comments on it from some of our OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers and have decided to delete the provision in its entirety from the next round of OEM contracts," Brookes said. He denied that simultaneous investigations of Microsoft by Japanese and European competition regulators led the software firm to scrap the clause. "It"s coincidental," he said.