Microsoft Announces Patent Licensing Agreement With Foxconn Parent Hon Hai

Microsoft has announced the signing of a patent licensing agreement with Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn. The agreement covers devices that run Chrome OS and Android, such as smartphones and tablets, and is even said to cover televisions. This makes Hon Hai the latest in what is a growing list of manufacturers with Chrome and Android patent licenses.

Not much is known about the lincensing agreement, with the announcement by Microsoft stating that it is confidential in nature. The only detail released was that Microsoft will be getting royalties from Hon Hai, although actual numbers weren't specified. According to Microsoft, this is one of over 1100 licensing agreements it has taken part in.

Said Microsoft's Intellectual Property Group's VP and Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez: "We are pleased that the list of companies benefitting from Microsoft's Android licensing program now includes the world's largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai. By licensing both brand name companies and their contract manufacturers, we have successfully increased the overall effectiveness and global reach of the program."

Hon Hai also had things to say, with the director of its Intellectual Property Department saying that the company both recognizes and respects the protection of intellectual property, and that its licensing deal with Microsoft is representative of such. The Foxconn parent company is presently the largest maker of contract electronics in the world.

[via Microsoft]