Microsoft is on a roll. Onkyo is the latest company to trade Android tablet royalties for access to Microsoft’s patent licensing program. The details of the agreement wasn’t released. This makes Onkyo the third company this week that has signed such an agreement. Velocity Micro and General Dynamic’s Itronix brand joined the club just days ago.
“We are pleased that Onkyo has taken advantage of our patent licensing program for Android devices and has signed this agreement,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft. “This agreement and similar agreements recently announced evidence the momentum and success of our licensing program.”
Back in 2010 HTC became the first Android maker to sign on the dotted lined and has since been handing over royalities to Microsoft. It was reported that the deal might have HTC paying Microsoft $5 per handset sold. This is a major part of why Microsoft is making more money from Android that its own Windows Phone 7.
Other Android makers didn’t roll over so easily, though. Motorola and B&N are both fighting Microsoft regarding patents over their headlining products of the Droid 2, Droid X, and the Nook Color. But the pressure is likely mounting on those fighting as Microsoft gets more and more companies to fold.