Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Android
    • Android
    • Mobile
    • PC Hardware
    • Servers

    Microsoft’s Android Licensing March Continues with Quanta Computer

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    October 13, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Quanta Computer has agreed to pay Microsoft a license for its devices running Google Android or Chrome.

      By doing so, it becomes the latest in a string of companies that have submitted to a Microsoft licensing program rather than fight a patent-infringement suit in court. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Quanta, and proud of the continued success of our Android licensing program in resolving IP issues surround Android and Chrome devices in the marketplace,” Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group, wrote in an Oct. 13 statement.

      Exact financial terms were undisclosed by either company.

      Over the past few months, Microsoft has entered into licensing agreements with companies large and small. Both Samsung and HTC indicated their willingness to pay Microsoft a fee for each Android device sold, with Samsung indicating it would go a step further and also collaborate on the development and marketing for Windows Phone.

      The implicit threat is that Microsoft will sue any Android manufacturer who doesn’t agree to pay a licensing fee. Motorola Mobility, the one major holdout from such a licensing agreement, is currently locked in a bitter and complex patent-infringement lawsuit with Microsoft; it remains an open question how Motorola’s planned acquisition by Google will affect that battle.

      Microsoft’s legal counsel argues that intellectual property “incentivizes” research and development, advancing the mobile industry. Google has argued just as stridently that Microsoft’s Android-related maneuverings constitute a glorified extortion scheme.

      Research firm Nielsen estimated Google Android’s share of the U.S. smartphone market at 43 percent, leading Apple’s iOS (28 percent) and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry franchise (18 percent). Meanwhile, it placed Microsoft behind those competitors with 8 percent of the market.

      Despite anemic sales for its year-old Windows Phone, Microsoft is determined to seize a greater share of that market. It began rolling out its wide-ranging Windows Phone “Mango” update Sept. 27, on top of signing deals with a number of manufacturers-including Samsung-to produce a new generation of devices preloaded with Mango.

      “It was under a year ago that we launched the first Windows Phone,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told an audience of media and executives at this year’s financial analyst meeting. “We haven’t sold quite as many probably as I would have hoped in the first year.”

      That being said, Microsoft can perhaps take hope in the revenue stream from Android licenses.

      Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter

      Avatar
      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×