HTC and Microsoft Strengthen Their Collaboration

Today, Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation and Redmond-based software giant Microsoft announced the signing of an agreement that enables HTC to license Microsoft’s patented technology. The newly unveiled deal further strengthens the collaboration between the two companies, as the handset vendor is allowed to license patented technology from Microsoft for use on its devices powered by Google's Android operating system.

“HTC and Microsoft have a long history of technical and commercial collaboration, and today’s agreement is an example of how industry leaders can reach commercial arrangements that address intellectual property,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft. “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with HTC.”

Specific info on the agreement, such as financial details, hasn't been revealed yet. However, it seems that, under the terms of the deal, HTC is to pay Microsoft an undisclosed sum for the intellectual property rights. According to Microsoft, the new agreement shows the importance of IP in the IT ecosystem, as more and more companies are taking further steps into protecting their innovation.

HTC and Microsoft have been partners for a long period of time. The Taiwan-based mobile phone maker is the largest provider of smartphones powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, and it plans on keeping its leadership, as it already unveiled plans to launch handsets powered by the newly announced Windows Phone 7 OS. The first devices running under the platform are expected to arrive on the market before the end of 2010.

One of the interesting aspects of the deal is that the licensing agreement covers HTC's Android-based handsets. Basically, this means that the company will be able to pack its future devices running under Google's OS with a wide range of applications and even services currently available only for Windows Mobile users, which comes as good news.