Last updated April 18, 2007 11:56 p.m. PT
Samsung, Microsoft to share technologies
Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. say they will give each other access to their patented technologies under a broad licensing agreement, the latest in a series of patent deals struck by the Redmond company.
The pact includes an agreement by Microsoft not to sue users of Samsung's Linux-based devices for patent infringement.
Controversy arose over a similar provision in an earlier patent deal between Microsoft and Novell, because it was seen as implying that Linux violates Microsoft's patents -- which advocates of the open-source operating system dispute.
Microsoft said the latest patent deal was struck with Samsung's digital media division, giving the company access to Samsung inventions in digital media and computing.
Samsung will be able to use Microsoft's technologies in products such as computers, camcorders, television sets, printers and home appliances.
"Samsung is one of the most impressive patent holders in the United States," said David Kaefer, Microsoft's general manager for intellectual-property licensing. "There's a lot of great patent rights that we've received from Samsung under this."
Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.
Microsoft has publicly announced similar patent deals in the past with companies including NEC, Fuji-Xerox, Seiko-Epson and Nortel. Kaefer said there have been other deals that the company isn't publicly disclosing.
The Fuji-Xerox deal also included a provision protecting its customers from Linux-related claims by Microsoft.
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