Google and Samsung have reportedly become partners with a cross licensing deal that spans the globe and will allow each of the companies access to patents owned by the other for the next 10 years. The initial reports do not say whether all of the current patents from the companies are included, but the companies did confirm together that the deal is not just about patents, rather it does cover a wide range of product categories. Samsung is not new to patent wars in the mobile market over the last five years and Google has had its fair share of issues as well.
Since Google bought Motorola Mobility back in 2011, the company gained more patents in a deal that cost them more than $12 billion. It was just two years ago that Samsung and Microsoft came to an agreement for cross licensing and at the time it looked like it would be used to compete against Google. Google and Samsung have been working together to bring Android powered smartphones to the public, but this is the first intellectual property deal between the two companies.
According to the press release issued by Samsung, “We’re 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,” according to Allen Lo, Deputy General Counsel for Patents at Google. The head of Samsung’s Intellectual Property Center, Dr. Seungho Ahn, “This agreement with Google is highly significant for the technology industry. Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes.” The main focus of the agreement allows the companies to access each other’s portfolios, which allows for better collaboration between the two companies.
A agreement like this allows for better things coming to the consumer as well. Samsung has been rumored to be developing smartphones that are not powered by Android, while other reports are indicating the exact opposite. In the future, with this agreement in place, the two companies are going to be tied together and that will make it easier for them to battle for the top in the smartphone industry and others. Recent rumors point to the fact that Android could make its way to our living room and since Samsung makes HDTV’s, that could be the next step.
