The companies announced a sharing agreement as well

Jul 3, 2015 10:30 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft and Kyocera have just announced a new sharing agreement that will see the companies using each other’s technologies without fear of being sued.

The announcement comes a few months after Microsoft filed a lawsuit against Kyocera for infringing on some of its many patents used in Android smartphones.

The devices targeted by Microsoft with the lawsuit were Kyocera's rugged Android smartphones available in the United States: Duraforce, Hydro and Brigadier.

Well, it looks like the companies have finally buried the hatchet and will now work together to benefit from each other’s patents.

“The new agreement enables the companies to use a broader range of each other’s technologies in their respective products through a patent cross license.

“In addition to strengthening the partnership between the two companies, it also resolves a patent infringement lawsuit brought earlier this year in U.S. District Court. The remaining details of the agreement are confidential,” said Microsoft in an official statement.

The good news for Kyocera is that after signing the agreement it will be able to continue to sell its Android rugged smartphones in the United States.

Can we hope for an ultra-rugged Windows Phone handset?

For those unfamiliar with Kyocera's mobile business, the Japanese company has gone full Android in the last couple of years, and the company does not seem to have plans to launch a Windows Phone handset just yet.

Although an ultra-rugged Windows Phone was shown at Mobile World Congress 2015 earlier this year, the company confirmed that it was just a prototype that wouldn't be released on the market in the future.

Obviously, after signing the new agreement, Kyocera might decide otherwise and become a Microsoft partner. That will certainly imply launching at least one Windows Phone handset this year and possibly more the next one if things go well.