HTC Agrees to Pay Microsoft for Patent Licenses Regarding Android Phones

Todd Bishop:

The Redmond company says mobile-phone maker HTC will pay Microsoft an undisclosed sum to license a series of patents that, according to Microsoft, cover technology in HTC mobile phones that use Google’s Android operating system. Of course, that would be the same HTC that Apple has sued for patent infringement over the same Google Android devices.

This, on top of the patent suit from Apple. Android doesn’t sound so “free” for HTC anymore. I wonder how the patent fees HTC has agreed to pay Microsoft for each Android phone it sells compare to the cost of a Windows Phone 7 license.

★ Thursday, 29 April 2010