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Microsoft and Limelight Networks today announced an expanded working relationship centered around enhancing Microsoft Internet content delivery:
In recent months Microsoft has signed cross-license agreements with a number of large hardware electronics firms like Samsung and Seiko-Epson and today announced another with LG Electronics, the Korean electronics giant. This is standard practice for larger corporations, but there is a novel aspect in today’s agreement in view of Microsoft’s recent grumblings about Linux patent infringement:
LGE will be making ongoing payments to Microsoft for the value of Microsoft patents as they relate to Linux-based embedded devices that LGE produces.
That’s not exactly new since the Samsung announcement said:
Samsung will also obtain coverage from Microsoft for its customers’ use of certain Linux-based products.
It’s hard to tell what is really going on here from press releases and the companies won’t reveal the actual financial and technical details, but the whole point of cross-licensing agreements is mutual insurance. It wouldn’t surprise me if any of these firms using Linux took out a little Microsoft Linux insurance as part of the deal.
Some Microsoft news items from this week that did not find posts of their own:
State by state, Microsoft responds to creeping threat of OpenDocument Format:
Ed Homan, an orthopedic surgeon representing a central Florida district in the state legislature, thought an amendment touting open-source document formats he tucked into a 38-page bill wouldn’t draw much attention.
But within an hour of the proposed bill’s reading in late March, Homan said, he was greeted in his office by three lobbyists representing Microsoft Corp.
“They were here lickety-split,” Homan said. “I had no idea it was going to get that kind of reaction.”
Office 2003 SP3 will be a security upgrade featuring technologies from Office 2007. No date.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager Beta 2 released.
China Telecom gives Google Web advertising rights. Microsoft had earlier done a search deal with China Telecom, but doesn’t seem to be in any position to provide Chinese ads, since they have farmed their own out to Baidu.
No demand for Microsoft Office in the cloud according to Microsoft execs. No surprise there.
Executive departures:
Microsoft angst fodder:
Legal shenanigans:
Finally one from last week – Microsoft and Samsung signed a broad patent cross-licensing agreement.
Seiko Epson Corp. (Epson) and Microsoft Corp. today announced a cross-licensing agreement that allows increased mutual access to each company’s respective patent portfolios. The agreement will enable each company to broaden its product offerings and deliver more comprehensive, cost-effective solutions. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The expansion of the long-standing relationship between Epson and Microsoft will promote the exchange and implementation of patented technologies in many consumer and business electronics product areas.
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Epson is very active in filing and securing patents, and has maintained an outstanding position in the global patent rankings, particularly in Japan, where it was ranked third in published patents in 2005.
Microsoft has established a solid record of collaborating with other technology innovators and has entered into cross-licensing agreements with leading technology companies that include Cisco Systems Inc., NEC Corp., Nortel Networks, Siemens AG, SAP AG and Toshiba.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
