News
Microsoft Inks IP Licensing Deal with Canon
- By Gladys Rama
- July 02, 2014
Microsoft has entered into an agreement with Canon that would allow the two companies to license each other's patents, including those used in imaging and mobile products.
Tokyo, Japan-based Canon is a major manufacturer of digital imaging equipment, including cameras, projectors, printers and radiography systems. Canon already is one of a number of companies that license intellectual property (IP) related to Microsoft's exFAT technology.
This new agreement, announced on Wednesday, would give the two companies broader access into each other's patent portfolios. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though Microsoft said it "covers a broad range of products and services each company offers, including certain digital imaging and mobile consumer products."
Microsoft says it has logged over 1,100 patent licensing agreements since the launch of its IP licensing program in 2003, many of them related to Google's Android and Chrome OS platforms.
"Microsoft believes cooperative licensing is an effective way to accelerate innovation while reducing patent disputes," said Nick Psyhogeos, associate general counsel of IP licensing at Microsoft's Innovation and Intellectual Property Group, in a prepared statement.