Microsoft Android Patent Threats
Comments discuss Microsoft's aggressive use of patents to demand royalties from Android device manufacturers and OEMs, often accusing them of acting as a patent troll despite not contributing to Android development.
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It isn't clear that Google is one of the companies who pays them. If Microsoft went after Google it seems like Google would have made a stink about it. Microsoft generally goes after companies they expect to be compliant (such as Amazon, who was already paying a patent fee for using Linux on their servers).It seemed like in the past their method was to say they have patents covering X (in the past X was Linux) and you can license them for some specified amount. I don't think they we
Has Microsoft ever sued anybody for patent infringement?
The "new" Microsoft still abuses patents against Linux and Android, so you don't have that long memory for that.
Google claimed that Android was being attacked with patents.Microsoft responded that they invited Google to jointly buy patents.Microsoft is currently threatening Android hardware partners with their existing patents to extract fees. Patents jointly owned by Google and Microsoft would not affect this, patents owned only by Google could force Microsoft to back down.
No. Microsoft is just the most effective "patent troll" of them all. I'll never forget how Microsoft got all OEMs to pay. They went after Samsung, convinced them through some kind of deal to pay up (which may have even been in Samsung's favor - think Windows discounts or whatever) and then showed all the other companies "look who we got to pay up for infringing on our patents. If big ol' Samsung paid up - do you really want to risk taking you to Court?
Microsoft's future is to be a patent troll?
Does this mean Microsoft isn't going to sue their customers for patent infringement?
Microsoft is forcing android vendors over patents for things they didn't even invent. Imagine what they would do if people used things they did actually invent.
Not really. It's smooth PR by Microsoft which is apparently working, but the reality is Google is looking for these patents to create cross-licensing deals to protect themselves from current and future patent suits from companies like Microsoft and Apple - cross-licensing deals that Google could not do if they co-owned these patents with said companies.
"New Microsoft"? So why are they still bullying with patents against Android device makers? (FAT file system, etc.)