Samsung, Google reach worldwide patent cross-licensing pact
Two of Apple's fiercest rivals --?Android maker Google and electronics titan Samsung --?have inked a decade-long, global cross-licensing agreement granting each company access to the other's intellectual property troves.
The deal includes both existing patents and new patents filed over the next 10 years, according to a press release issued early Monday morning in South Korea. It appears that the agreement extends beyond patents centered around the mobile devices business or Google's Android operating system, instead covering a "broad range of technologies and business areas."
Samsung and Google "gain access to each other's industry-leading patent portfolios, paving the way for deeper collaboration on research and development of current and future products and technologies," the statement reads. Both companies participate in a diverse array of markets --?Samsung is also one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers, for instance, while Google has expanded beyond its search engine roots with interests in fields like biomedical sensors and robotics.
Allen Lo, Google's deputy general counsel for patents, said the Mountain View, Calif. company is "pleased to enter into a cross-license with our partner Samsung. By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation."
Lo's Samsung counterpart, Dr. Seungho Ahn, echoed the former's sentiment. "Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes," he said.
Monday's announcement comes as both companies are engaged in multiple worldwide legal battles with Apple, though those may be on the verge of winding down. Google's Motorola unit has suffered multiple losses in litigation against the iPhone maker, while Apple and Samsung are thought to be close to reaching a patent accord of their own in advance of a new trial that would begin later in the spring.
The deal includes both existing patents and new patents filed over the next 10 years, according to a press release issued early Monday morning in South Korea. It appears that the agreement extends beyond patents centered around the mobile devices business or Google's Android operating system, instead covering a "broad range of technologies and business areas."
Samsung and Google "gain access to each other's industry-leading patent portfolios, paving the way for deeper collaboration on research and development of current and future products and technologies," the statement reads. Both companies participate in a diverse array of markets --?Samsung is also one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers, for instance, while Google has expanded beyond its search engine roots with interests in fields like biomedical sensors and robotics.
Allen Lo, Google's deputy general counsel for patents, said the Mountain View, Calif. company is "pleased to enter into a cross-license with our partner Samsung. By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation."
Lo's Samsung counterpart, Dr. Seungho Ahn, echoed the former's sentiment. "Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes," he said.
Monday's announcement comes as both companies are engaged in multiple worldwide legal battles with Apple, though those may be on the verge of winding down. Google's Motorola unit has suffered multiple losses in litigation against the iPhone maker, while Apple and Samsung are thought to be close to reaching a patent accord of their own in advance of a new trial that would begin later in the spring.
Comments
I’d say I’m surprised, but I know better.
Looks like a typo there - I'm sure that should be "copying" rather than "cooperating".
Google has betrayed America by stealing apple's secrets and then allowing to leak out. They were on the board of directors for apple and produced great collabrative work, but now they taking what isn't thiers and giving it away. I feel like im am talking like radicalzied nutcase, but I am so angry at Google.
* They refused to pay anyone for all the patents Android violate. Oracle's Java suit would be interesting to watch.
* They rejected MS' offer to bid for Nortel patents together.
* They bought Motorola to sue Apple and MS over SEP patents
Why can't they just pay the licenses like a proper business ? It's not like they are broke.
Right now, it just sounds like they stole people's stuff, try to shop everything cool, then hi-5 with another SEP offender to put up a dazzling show; hopefully no one notices.
8^(
Google has betrayed America by stealing apple's secrets and then allowing to leak out. They were on the board of directors for apple and produced great collabrative work, but now they taking what isn't thiers and giving it away. I feel like im am talking like radicalzied nutcase, but I am so angry at Google.
Good point; I'd never looked at it like that before. Google stole from Apple and thereby enabled Samsung to make billions. I'm no flag-waving, right-winger, but our economy is in decline and we don't need thieves like Google hurting us even more!
I feel like im am talking like radicalzied nutcase
Yes.
Offtopic:
I have never seen the front face of Google's Mountain View HQ, until now: The Music Project approach to I-beam art meets/function is fine. The butt-ugly 70s HP glass behind it is painful.
On-topic:
This cross-licensing won't indemnify them from squat. It's intent will not hinder Apple or Microsoft from suing the crap out of them.
Looks like Google will soon know what you watch with your Samsung television, what food you have in your Samsung refrigerator, what time you eat dinner with your Samsung microwave, how often you do your laundry with your Samsung washer/dryer and who knows what else when Samsung imbed Google tech into their chips. And not to mention with the Nest thermostat and Android in your car, Google will know what time you wake up, what time you leave for work, what kind of car you drive, where you work, what time you leave work, what time you get home, what time you go to sleep, where you are in your home when you're home , where you go on your days off and where you like to shop.
Time for Apple to release a new "1984" commercial with an image of Eric Schmidt on the big screen.
Likewise two useless patent portfolios (in terms of court victories) will not become more powerful because they're pooled together.
It's not that haphazard.
Google want to play God.
Where disputes are concerned, they want to stay behind the scene without getting their hands dirty. Let Samsung, and other Android licensees do the wet work.
Where credits are concerned, they want it all. Like Microsoft buying out the major motion tracking companies, Google want to buy out all the major promising players to stop Apple's advances. Then again, the world is very big. :-)
IIRC they are dominating the world market (80+ %).
IIRC they are dominating the world market (80+ %).
Nah... marketshare is not everything. Not saying they are doing a crappy job, but they need to make enough money to sustain their high spending.
The Chinese will eventually choose their own destiny. They will use their own app store and services when their government is ready. None of the American sites and services made it there during the Internet boom. None of them will be allowed to dominate in the mobile boom. Apple will only aim for the premium market, like the Mac. So they should be fine.
The Indian market will likely remain fragmented.
IIRC they are dominating the world market (80+ %).
And if I read this article correctly, it has nothing to do with market share and everything to do with intellectual property. You're commenting on the wrong article.
Do No Evil, indeed...
Nah... marketshare is not everything. Not saying they are doing a crappy job, but they need to make enough money to sustain their high spending.
The Chinese will eventually choose their own destiny. They will use their own app store and services when their government is ready. None of the American sites and services made it there during the Internet boom. None of them will be allowed to dominate in the mobile boom. Apple will only aim for the premium market, like the Mac. So they should be fine.
The Indian market will likely remain fragmented.
Samsung is a HUGE company. it is like nokia back in the days when nokia was a huge company (making everything including tires). Samsung has many branches and tonnes of market share and tonnes of money.
So Samsung will be able to manufacture/monetize any ideas Google comes up with for the next 10 years? That is a massive exporting of American knowhow. They just purchased Boston Dynamics who were making all the defence robots.
The phrase that came to my mind was "A deal with the devil." But I couldn't figure out which was the devil...?
I see Samsung using Google's patents and coming out with their own OS that trumps Android and leave smarmy Shimts and Pages standing there with their jaws on the floor.