With all the lawsuits these tech companies are filing against one another, one might find it surprising that Google and Samsung took the opposite route.
Samsung Electronics and Google Inc. announced that they have entered into a broad agreement to cross-license a variety of patents from either side. Since Apple is locked in legal dispute with both Google and Samsung over different matters, this move might not be surprising at all.
“By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation,” said Allen Lo, deputy general counsel for patents at Google.
According to the New York Times, the agreement covers existing patents from both camps. It would also cover some patents that would be filed within the next 10 years. It should be noted that not all patents owned by Google or Samsung are covered by the agreement. Furthermore, none of the shared patents could be used to help any party with their existing cases.