Microsoft inks Android, Chrome deal with Quanta
Targeting hardware makers that use the two Google operating systems, Microsoft lands another licensee in Quanta, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer.
Microsoft has signed a patent deal with Quanta Computer, the latest in an ongoing effort to convince hardware makers that they need to license technology from the software giant if they intend to use Google's Android and Chrome operating systems for their devices.
The deal with Quanta, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer, covers both Google operating systems. The companies didn't disclose terms of the deal, except to say that Microsoft will receive royalties from Quanta under the agreement.
"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 surrounding Android and Chrome devices in the marketplace," Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel in Microsoft's Intellectual Property Group, said in a statement today.
As Android has grown and surpassed Microsoft's mobile-phone operating systems in the marketplace, the company has targeted handset and tablet makers that use the Google operating system. It's racked up a laundry list of licensees in a little more than a year, starting with longtime partner HTC. Just last month, Microsoft reached an Android licensing agreement with Acer.
Earlier this year, Microsoft's intellectual property lawyers set their sights on Chrome, Google's nascent operating system for running laptop PCs. In July, Microsoft reached a deal with another Taiwanese contract manufacturer, Wistron, over Chrome. And last month, the company added ViewSonic to its Chrome licensee list.