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Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

arstechnica.com

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Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#11

Post by bishnu »

TallTalesOrTrue wrote: post #3
molmalo wrote: post #2

So, if Google makes money with Apple stuff (iPad, iPhone with search, maps, etc), and Microsoft makes money with Android... Let's close the circle! Let Apple make money with WP7! (C3 technologies for bing maps could do it...) And everyone will be happy forever! (Or not). Seriously, Ballmer should send a really nice corporate gift to Brin, Page and Schmidt, with a card: "Thanx pals!"

Google not only makes money off of Apple products but pretty much any product from where one can search. That includes all the android devices as well. Which makes you wonder why are they pushing android at all. People are used to using Google so no matter what OS, they are going to use it anyways Why spend billions of dollars developing and defending it?

Google doesn't just make money off both iOS and Android - they make MUCH MORE money off iOS than Android, at least twice as much. [1]

But they don't control iOS, so all Android is is a hedge in case Apple tries to disrupt mobile search somehow. I honestly wonder if there's any tension at Google between the search team and the mobile team, since at the moment Google is flogging something directly against the interests of their cash cow (search).

[1] http://9to5mac.com/2011/09/21/google-23rds-of-our-mobile-sea...

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#12

Post by pluies »

ma2rten wrote: post #9
nextparadigms wrote: post #4

It's too bad that even though most of those patents could be invalidated in Court, these companies fell one by one and started paying Microsoft royalties for all the claimed infringements. I'm pretty sure most of the big companies like Samsung and LG didn't even agree to do this for nothing, though. They most likely got a discount deal for Windows licenses, or some similar deal. Both of them make Windows laptops.

That does not make sense to me. If they get a discount for Windows licenses they would have bought anyway, then they are not paying anything at all effectively.

But it means a higher cost of entry for competitors in the mobile space; something that seems like a good thing for both Microsoft and the Android makers.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#13

Post by fauldsh »

nextparadigms wrote: post #4

It's too bad that even though most of those patents could be invalidated in Court, these companies fell one by one and started paying Microsoft royalties for all the claimed infringements. I'm pretty sure most of the big companies like Samsung and LG didn't even agree to do this for nothing, though. They most likely got a discount deal for Windows licenses, or some similar deal. Both of them make Windows laptops.

I'm interested to know where this certainty that these patents wouldn't hold up in court comes from.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#14

Post by shin_lao »

emilsedgh wrote: post #5

So Microsoft unleashes its lawyers on Android OEM's and there's nothing Google and all those OEM's could do about it? Wasnt Google supposed to 'defend' OEM's, specially after Motorola deal? And, on a totally unrelated note, Microsoft does all the bad practices to gain profit; and it has an XBox with a camera connected to internet with closed source software which updates itself, on millions of houses across the globe…

Maybe Microsoft's requests are legitimate? Maybe the OEM really infringe on patents? Maybe Microsoft provide support for the technology in exchange of money?

We have little or no information, let's just not jump to conclusions.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#15

Post by vidarh »

shin_lao wrote: post #14
emilsedgh wrote: post #5

So Microsoft unleashes its lawyers on Android OEM's and there's nothing Google and all those OEM's could do about it? Wasnt Google supposed to 'defend' OEM's, specially after Motorola deal? And, on a totally unrelated note, Microsoft does all the bad practices to gain profit; and it has an XBox with a camera connected to internet with closed source software which updates itself, on millions of houses across the globe…

Maybe Microsoft's requests are legitimate? Maybe the OEM really infringe on patents? Maybe Microsoft provide support for the technology in exchange of money? We have little or no information, let's just not jump to conclusions.

Thankfully the veil is likely to start getting lifted with the Barnes and Noble lawsuit and anti-trust complaint.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#16

Post by brudgers »

bishnu wrote: post #11
TallTalesOrTrue wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google not only makes money off of Apple products but pretty much any product from where one can search. That includes all the android devices as well. Which makes you wonder why are they pushing android at all. People are used to using Google so no matter what OS, they are going to use it anyways Why spend billions of dollars developing and defending it?

Google doesn't just make money off both iOS and Android - they make MUCH MORE money off iOS than Android, at least twice as much. [1] But they don't control iOS, so all Android is is a hedge in case Apple tries to disrupt mobile search somehow. I honestly wonder if there's any tension at Google between the search team and the mobile team, since at the moment Google is flogging something directly against the interests…

Microsoft is Google's direct competitor in regards to mobile search...or search in general for that matter. As for Apple, I don't see them entering search because search, in general, suffers from the level of curation Apple tends to association with its brand.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#17

Post by bishnu »

brudgers wrote: post #16
bishnu wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google doesn't just make money off both iOS and Android - they make MUCH MORE money off iOS than Android, at least twice as much. [1] But they don't control iOS, so all Android is is a hedge in case Apple tries to disrupt mobile search somehow. I honestly wonder if there's any tension at Google between the search team and the mobile team, since at the moment Google is flogging something directly against the interests…

Microsoft is Google's direct competitor in regards to mobile search...or search in general for that matter. As for Apple, I don't see them entering search because search, in general, suffers from the level of curation Apple tends to association with its brand.

That and software-as-a-service just isn't Apple's business model. They just want to sell you stuff.

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#19

Post by abraxasz »

fauldsh wrote: post #13
nextparadigms wrote: post #4

It's too bad that even though most of those patents could be invalidated in Court, these companies fell one by one and started paying Microsoft royalties for all the claimed infringements. I'm pretty sure most of the big companies like Samsung and LG didn't even agree to do this for nothing, though. They most likely got a discount deal for Windows licenses, or some similar deal. Both of them make Windows laptops.

I'm interested to know where this certainty that these patents wouldn't hold up in court comes from.

Yeah, I second this point. I don't know much about the situation between Microsoft and Android's OEMs, but to me, it seems like a simple case of "I've invested money in research, came up with some useful technology that you [the OEM, that is] are paying to use".

I don't see where the controverse is (other than the more general and complex debate about what should be free, etc..)

Re: Microsoft now paid royalties on 70% of US Android smartphones

#20

Post by fauldsh »

abraxasz wrote: post #19
fauldsh wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm interested to know where this certainty that these patents wouldn't hold up in court comes from.

Yeah, I second this point. I don't know much about the situation between Microsoft and Android's OEMs, but to me, it seems like a simple case of "I've invested money in research, came up with some useful technology that you [the OEM, that is] are paying to use". I don't see where the controverse is (other than the more general and complex debate about what should be free, etc..)

Consider that Apple own patents for pinch-to-zoom and the use of a gyroscope to control the rotation of a screen (turn the phone sideways, get landscape view). Given the thousands of patents all of the big companies own it becomes very believable that Microsoft would own a bunch of patents that many phones infringe on and that it would take Microsoft time to even realise it owned them (a possible reason for the delay in going after phone companies).

Patents that are essential to the phone being popular (can you imagine a smart-phone without the two above features).

Patents that would force most suppliers to just pay up.

EDIT: Just to confirm, I am agreeing with you, I just figured I'd explain why I think their claims are likely valid. This is not to say I agree with these patents being given but I've seen so many comments that seem to assume this is all a big con that will fall apart at the slightest scrutiny.

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