By: iPadfanzz staff on April 17, 2013
Microsoft has convinced Foxconn's parent company Hon Hai to its Android and Chrome patent licensing program, meaning this time Taiwanese company will pay royalties to the U.S. software giant. Thus, the Taiwanese company will pay license fees for all of the Android and Chrome OS devices it makes—including smartphones, tablets, and televisions.
The agreement offers Hon Hai coverage for Microsoft's unspecified patents for devices running Android and Chrome OS, which have included makers of smartphones, embedded devices, and cameras.
"The licensing agreement with Microsoft represents those efforts and our continued support of international trade agreements that facilitate implementation of effective patent protection," said Samuel Fu, director of the intellectual property department at Hon Hai.
Hon Hai, Apple's primary iPhone contract manufacturer, draws most of its revenues from iDevices and last week posted a 19 percent year on year decline in Q1 2013 sales that was attributed to soft demand for the iPhone, Reuters reported.
In 2011, Microsoft signed licensing agreements with companies accounting for over half of all Android devices.
