New York, Oct. 1, technology giants Google and Microsoft have made peace. The two companies have settled all their patent issues, settling 18 cases between them. Microsoft has sued Motorola for patent infringement in 2010 and the lawsuit has been carried over to Google after the search company acquired Motorola the year after. Motorola also sued Microsoft.
This and all other infringement cases have been settled between Google and Microsoft, as the two companies reached an agreement. Financial terms between the two companies are confidential, and which company ended up winning the cases remains unclear. Ars Technica has cited the full statement, which disclosed little detail regarding the agreement.
"Microsoft and Google are pleased to announce an agreement on patent issues. As part of the agreement, the companies will dismiss all pending patent infringement litigation between them, including cases related to Motorola Mobility, " the statement said, adding that both Google and Microsoft have also agreed to work together in some patent issues and are anticipating to also collaborate on other areas for their customers.
But Microsoft and Google produce services and products that will inevitably go head to head against one another, so even if the two companies have reached a settlement, it does not preclude future lawsuits and infringement cases, a spokeswoman from Microsoft has confirmed. The two companies produce mobile phones, web browsers and operating systems, among other things that directly compete with one another. At least for now, the two big companies have dismissed all cases and issues.
Microsoft has previously claimed that Google's Android operating system has infringed many of the software company's patents. Microsoft has claimed that it was collecting royalties from 50 percent of all Android makers in 2011. The case against Motorola has been much publicised, but there's no telling whether the mobile company has paid Microsoft.
