Andre Yoskowitz
23 Oct 2011 21:44
Microsoft has signed their 10th Android patent deal this weekend, coming into money via Compal Electronics of China.
The company has coerced deals out of Samsung, HTC, Wistron, Quanta, Acer and General Dynamics Itronix.
As with past deals the patent agreement covers all Android or Chrome OS tablets, smartphones and e-readers Compal creates.
Compal, while not a household name in the U.S., produces smartphones/tablets/e-readers for third parties and has a massive $28 billion revenue per year.
Says Microsoft (via Crunch):
We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Compal, one of the leaders in the original design manufacturing, or ODM, industry. Together with the license agreements signed in the past few months with Wistron and Quanta Computer, today's agreement with Compal means more than half of the world's ODM industry for Android and Chrome devices is now under license to Microsoft's patent portfolio.
We are proud of the continued success of our licensing program in resolving IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome.