Microsoft Owns 100's of Key Android Patents
makes money on every Android device sold.... hehe.
Monday, April 14, 2014 by starkers | Discussion: Personal Computing
Well it seems Microsoft knows no bounds when stacking the odds in its favour. The UK Register reports that Microsoft is claiming to hold hundreds of Android patents, so could it in fact pose problems for Android device manufacturers, not to mention Google. According to one commenter, Microsoft owns around 200 patents essential to the manufacture of Android smartphones, so there is a potential for conflict should MS decide to revoke usage of the patents outside of its own sphere of control.
I suppose it should come as no surprise, with various technologies crossing platforms, but I'm curious as to why MS is just announcing this now. It seems Redmond tech giant has held these patents for some time, so what is the purpose of announcing its ownership so long after the fact? Is there an agenda behind it? Are the patent wars about to erupt again? Or is there another plan of attack to yet be unveiled?
So far there has been an announcement, then nothing at all... but is this the calm before the storm?
Oh how I love a good conflict and/or conspiracy theory. 
Reply #2 Monday, April 14, 2014 10:38 AM
Hehe, I wonder if that pattern comes in larger sizes, so I could turn one into hat to replace my tinfoil one?
I don't know if anything will ever come of all this, whether or not MS will ever call out Google and/or Android manufacturers on infringements, but I thought the story was interesting and believed it would make a good talking point for the forums.
Reply #3 Monday, April 14, 2014 11:27 AM
How the heck did MS find 200 patents on IT that Apple didn't already own?
Reply #4 Monday, April 14, 2014 11:33 AM
Well this doesn't bother me at all............don't use any Android devices. 
Reply #5 Monday, April 14, 2014 11:33 AM
This isn't a new revelation. MS actually makes about $2 billion per year from Android royalties.
Reply #6 Monday, April 14, 2014 8:18 PM
How the heck did MS find 200 patents on IT that Apple didn't already own?
Heck, I don't know! Maybe MS has shares in Apple, and thus jointly owns the Android patents. Or maybe Google hid them under the table the day Jobsy came to visit.... or maybe Tim Cook isn't as quick as Jobsy was to claim other peoples hard work as his own.
Even if you did I don't think it would have any bearing on your usage, etc. If anything ever came of it, the issue would be fought out in the courts between the relevant parties and Android users would be unaffected.
This isn't a new revelation. MS actually makes about $2 billion per year from Android royalties.
I know it isn't a new revelation, but I figured that not everybody would know and thought it would make an interesting forum topic.
Reply #7 Monday, April 14, 2014 8:30 PM
Interesting. Being fairly new to android devices, I didn't know this. Maybe they can merge the two together and come up with Andows or Windroid. A Next Launcher like app for Windows would be awesome.
Reply #8 Monday, April 14, 2014 8:33 PM
Yes, it would! Never happen..
Reply #9 Monday, April 14, 2014 9:44 PM
The only news is the number. It's common knowledge that they're specifically licensing them for royalty revenue, and have been for several years. Revoking them (if even possible) would only hurt them.
Reply #10 Monday, April 14, 2014 9:53 PM
Quoting starkers, reply 2I don't know if anything will ever come of all this, whether or not MS will ever call out Google and/or Android manufacturers on infringements
The only news is the number. It's common knowledge that they're specifically licensing them for royalty revenue, and have been for several years. Revoking them (if even possible) would only hurt them.
That's pretty much what I was thinking, that MS is sitting on a nice little nest egg and would likely want to keep the arrangement as is.
As for spicing up the OP with a bit of conflict, etc, well that was just a bit of tongue-in-cheek to make the post a little more interesting than just providing a link to a news item.
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Reply #1 Monday, April 14, 2014 6:09 AM
Should prove to be interesting...or not so. Patent trolls/wars.