Microsoft and Hop-on, Inc., have signed a worldwide patent licensing agreement which provides extensive coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for smartphone and tablet devices running the Android and Chrome OS.
The contents of the agreement are currently confidential, though it has been confirmed that Microsoft will receive royalties from Hop-on as part of the agreement, according to a joint press release.
"We are pleased that the list of companies benefitting from Microsoft's Android licensing program now includes a U.S.-based manufacturer of affordable cellular technologies," said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Innovation and Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft, according to the news release. "Licensing is an effective way to share technology and build on each other's work to provide valued products to consumers."
The deal was announced a week after Microsoft announced an Android patent-licensing deal with Voxx Electronics.
Click here for more information on Microsoft's licensing programs.
Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program over 10 years ago, the company has entered over 1,100 licensing agreements with companies like Samsung, LG, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, according to the news release.
"Hop-on is an international leader in the development and manufacture of electronics, distributed software and telecommunications services with an extensive portfolio of essential patent rights for mobile communications and computing technologies," said Peter Michaels, CEO of Hop-on, according to the news release. "The agreement with Microsoft represents our respect for intellectual property rights, and enables us to continue to provide cost friendly and technologically advanced devices to consumers."
Hop-on produces smartphones, tablets, eReaders, TVs, and set-top boxes that run on Android and Chrome OS-based devices.
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