Report: Microsoft wants $15 per Android handset
Microsoft started targeting Android handset makers last year. At the time, Microsoft claimed that Android’s user interface and functionality infringed its patents. In a statement to CNET last year, Microsoft said it planned to ensure that “competitors do not free ride on our innovations.”
In addition to those patent-infringement claims, Microsoft announced at the time that it had signed a licensing deal with major Android handset maker HTC. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but HTC confirmed that “Microsoft will receive royalties” from the company on all Android-based phones it sells.
Since then, Microsoft has continued to target Android device makers. Last October, Microsoft sued Motorola for allegedly violating patents in the company’s Android-based phones. Motorola quickly responded with a countersuit, claiming Microsoft was infringing 16 of its patents in Windows versions running on PCs and mobile devices. The company has even said Microsoft’s Xbox violates its patents. So far, the companies have yet to reach an agreement.
It’s a sad day when patent-infringement payments generate more income for a company than the devices they make…