Peace has broken
out between Google and
Microsoft, which agreed to dismiss all
of their pending
patent lawsuits against each other.
Although Microsoft
has struggled to compete
in the marketplace against smartphones
based on
Google’s Android operating system, it
has struck patent licensing agreements
with many
of the biggest makers
of Android smartphones, including
Samsung.
(Microsoft settled a
lawsuit this year involving
a contract with Samsung over patent royalty
payments
Analysts estimate that it earns billions
of dollars a year in such
royalty payments.