In a decent blog post from Christine Hall she explains that Microsoft has become a patent threat not just to Android. It had already signed deals like the one with Novell in order to create what Christine (of FOSS Force) calls the "Microsoft Tax on Linux Devices". To quote:
The desktop and laptop might be safe, for the time being, but now the evil empire has dug its talons into the mobile world. It’s becoming nigh near impossible to purchase a device running Android or Chrome OS without a hidden Microsoft tax, and the makers of smartphones and tablets probably won’t be offering devices with no operating system installed in the near future, for those of us who’d prefer to install our own OS and skip having any of our money shipped to MS.
The new Microsoft tax is in the form of patent licenses that OEMs are being blackmailed into paying by the Microsoft folks. Yep, MS is finally making good on its promises to enforce the patents it claims are being violated by Linux by going after the makers of devices running Android (and now, evidently, Chrome OS). Does Microsoft actually hold valid patents being infringed by Android? Who knows? That would be for the courts to decide and, so far, nothing’s gone to court. OEMs are just ponying up and buying MS licenses on the strength of Microsoft threats. So much so that Redmond is evidently making more money on Android than on Windows Phone 7.
The Open Handset Alliance has 20 members who make handsets: Acer, Alcatel, ASUS, CCI, Dell, FoxConn, Garmen, Haier, HTC, Huawei, Kyocera, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, NEC, Samsung, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and ZTE.
Several manufacturers using Android have entered licensing agreements with M$: Wistron, HTC, General Dynamics Itronix, Velocity Micro, and Onkyo. M$ is reported to be demanding $15 a copy for Android/Linux from Samsung and Barnes and Noble has gone to court over the issue. It is interesting that M$ has apparently secured royalty payments around $5 per copy while demanding $15. Thus it seems that some are paying M$ to go away. Others will fight.
Making software is not a creative act and software patents are not stimulating innovation, it would seem. Software is a data structure and an algorithm, nothing more nor less. Once the information in the specification of those two elements is defined, the software follows and it can be created by almost any programmer skilled in the art. Thus, it fails non-obviousness. The information in the specification of the data structure and algorithm is not patentable, being merely an idea without physical embodiment. Putting software in a computer may give it physical embodiment but it is still obvious how it works when one looks at the source code.
And don't cry for Microsoft. While its new mobile OS rise has yet to be a rise at all, the company is making money on--get this--Android patent enforcement. That is, by dint of its thousands of software patents, Microsoft has succeeded in getting the likes of HTC to pay license fees, and now it's going after Samsung. Cue the jokes about blue screens of death in outer space.
In a research note, Wells Fargo estimated Windows Phone 7 revenue of $500 million in 2011; and more than $1 billion for Android licenses in 2012 if it charged $10 per license.
Comments
Needs Sunlight
2011-07-12 18:39:29
Dr. Roy Schestowitz
2011-07-12 22:15:00
twitter
2011-07-13 08:01:02
What Microsoft actually thinks of software patents and this plan they have had for more than a decade can be seen in my Microsoft Software Patent Extortion Timeline. It is obvious from the things Microsoft executives have said that the lawsuits are all about crushing competition.
The US DOJ has been asleep at the wheel for years but need to get to work.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz
2011-07-13 08:11:30
twitter
2011-07-13 23:15:06
Dr. Roy Schestowitz
2011-07-14 05:25:19
Needs Sunlight
2011-07-13 12:44:04
Google was willing to spend near to $4 billion to acquire a few patents. Would it be willing to spend a similar amount to ensure that they never need to worry about patents again? Since Andriod is a big target how about a consortium of the companies that use Android pooling resources to neutralize the patent threat for good?
Dr. Roy Schestowitz
2011-07-13 13:25:18