Foxconn and Microsoft reach a settlement, Android devices need to continue to pay patent fees

According to foreign media reports, Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai, has recently reached a settlement with Microsoft to withdraw all mutual lawsuits between the two parties. Foxconn can use Microsoft’s patents, and Microsoft can continue to receive patents from its Android and Chrome OS devices. fee.

Foxconn, a subsidiary of Hon Hai, is only a foundry and does not make branded machines by itself, so why pay royalties to Microsoft? This is actually the same as Qualcomm and Apple’s patent fees implicated in Foxconn. The patent fees paid by Android phones are often paid through the foundry, because the ex-factory price is lower, and the patent fee will be less.

Because of this, Foxconn, as the largest mobile phone foundry, also has to pay patent fees to produce Android mobile phones for others. Microsoft reached a cooperation agreement with them in 2013, authorizing Foxconn-made Android phones to use Microsoft patents, and Foxconn has to pay patent fees. fee.

But since 2015, I don’t know why Foxconn stopped paying patent licensing fees and refused to accept Microsoft’s verification.

So in March 2019, Microsoft filed a lawsuit in the United States against Foxconn parent company Hon Hai, accusing it of failing to comply with a patent licensing agreement with Microsoft for Android and Chrome OS devices. Subsequently, Guo Taiming responded to the issue of Hon Hai Group’s arrears of Microsoft’s patent fees on Facebook, saying that it did not infringe Microsoft’s rights and interests.

Guo Taiming said at the time that Microsoft’s lawsuit against Hon Hai was obviously guilty, and it rushed to publish news before receiving the indictment, with the intention of knocking mountains and shaking tigers and defrauding improper patent protection fees, instead of focusing on the content of legal proceedings. Guo Taiming said that Microsoft’s purpose is to ask Huawei for Android patent fees, and Hon Hai itself does not make Android products in the lawsuit, so there will never be any infringement.

A Microsoft spokesperson said at the time: “Microsoft takes its contractual commitments seriously and expects other companies to do the same. This legal action is only to enforce reporting and auditing provisions in our 2013 contract with Hon Hai. Our partnership with Hon Hai The partnership between us is very important and we are working to resolve our differences.”