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SOFTWARE INDUSTRY NEWS |
Microsoft in patent cross-licensing pact with Funai |
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Microsoft Corp. has announced that it has signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Funai Electric Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of LCD TVs which sell in the United States under various brands such as Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania and Emerson, to further the development of each company’s current and future products. The agreement will enable greater mutual access to each company’s respective patent portfolio. Though the contents of the agreement were not made public, both parties idnicated that Microsoft is being compensated by Funai. The patent cross-licensing agreement covers consumer audio-video products, and will see Funai gain access to Microsoft’s Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) patents, which cover many of the innovative ideas behind exFAT, a file system built to handle today’s rich and integrated media experiences. Both companies said that they believed the agreement would substantially benefit customers. Microsoft initiated its patent licensing program in December 2003, and has entered into over 600 licensing agreements since then. It has agreements similar to the one with Funai with leading companies such as Nikon, Olympus, Onkyo, Pioneer, Samsung Electronics Co., Seiko Epson, Toshiba, JVC, Motorola, Nokia, Novell, and even Apple. Its agreement with Pioneer focuses on auto navigation and television-related technologies. David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing at Microsoft the agreement was prompted by consumer demand for experiences that were once available primarily on personal computers. “A patent license like this one allows two industry leaders to deliver the type of cutting-edge innovations that today’s consumers demand.” Kenji Sakata, officer of IP licensing at Funai said the agreement would enable Funai to incorporate Microsoft technology into its products, “which will foster an even richer user experience for our customers.” |
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