Neowin News Feed for: Licensing

AI is causing a massive headache for Linux and laying the groundwork for legal issues

Paul Hill — Thu, 28 May 2026 08:42:01 +0000

Beyond adding severe workload pressure on kernel maintainers, code generated by black-box AI tools risks polluting the ecosystem with unmaintainable and legally ambiguous bloat. Read more...

This startup is helping gaming companies sell their data to world model labs

Usama Jawad — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:46:01 +0000

AI startup Origin Lab just raised $8M to turn video game worlds into training data goldmines for next-gen robots and world models. Read more...

Linux kernel allows AI-assisted code, as long as you follow these rules

Usama Jawad — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 23:14:01 +0000

Guidelines backed by Linus Torvalds reveal how AI tools and AI-generated code can contribute to the Linux kernel, but with notable limits. Read more...

Broadcom unveils its new Wi-Fi 8 silicon to meet AI edge demand

Paul Hill — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:28:01 +0000

Broadcom has announced the industry's first Wi-Fi 8 silicon solutions, shifting the focus from raw peak speed to Ultra High Reliability. Read more...

Microsoft commits to European interoperability in a groundbreaking agreement

Paul Hill — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 12:30:02 +0000

Microsoft is making major changes to Teams and Office 365 licensing in a new agreement with the European Commission. The goal? More flexibility for you. Read more...

JetBrains removes commercial license for its LSP API

David Uzondu — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 15:04:01 +0000

After unifying IntelliJ IDEA into a single distribution, the company has announced it is dropping commercial licensing for its LSP API. Read more...

Arm cancels Qualcomm's license to make ARM-based chips

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:46:01 +0000

Arm is revoking Qualcomm's license to design chips using Arm's technology, potentially disrupting the smartphone and automotive industries. Read more...

Generative AI is transforming our ability to understand licenses

Paul Hill — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:24:01 +0000

Terms and licenses have long been hard to read for a lot of people. With generative AI, however, you can now get summaries of these documents and ask specific questions about your obligations. Read more...

Microsoft decides to continue to work with Russian private companies not under sanctions

Ishtiaqe Hanif — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 04:28:01 +0000

American technology giant Microsoft Corporation sent out letters to around 1,000 Russian companies that are not under sanctions to renew their licenses of its software amidst the ongoing crisis. Read more...

Microsoft drops licensing restrictions for cloud use on Windows Server 2022

Ishtiaqe Hanif — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 11:58:02 +0000

Microsoft eases licensing terms for its Windows Server product lineup to pose greater competition to rivals. They are dropping certain restrictions to lower costs for customers and increase adoption. Read more...

Microsoft will alter its licensing terms to help smaller cloud providers in the EU

Alap Naik Desai — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 20:54:02 +0000

Microsoft will alter its licensing terms to help smaller cloud service providers. Customers and partners will be able to run Microsoft's software on non-Microsoft cloud platforms in the EU. Read more...

Licensing woes: Some Metal Gear Solid games are being removed temporarily

Usama Jawad — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:44:01 +0000

Konami has decided to remove select Metal Gear Solid games from digital distribution due to licenses expiring for some archive historical footage. It is unclear when the affected titles will return. Read more...

Google will launch a new licensing program later this year to pay publishers

Jay Bonggolto — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 09:34:02 +0000

Google will begin paying publishers for their content through a new licensing program set for rollout later this year, with local publishers in Germany, Australia, and Brazil already onboard. Read more...

Report: Mitigating IP Risk in Open Source

News Staff — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 17:46:01 +0000

As open source software continues to be adopted at an increasing rate, compliance with open source licenses becomes a more pressing initiative. Find out how to ensure compliance with this free report. Read more...

Roku TV licensing program expands into Europe

Paul Hill — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 17:26:01 +0000

Roku has announced that it's expanding its Roku TV licensing program to Europe. This allows manufacturers to acquire licenses to ship Roku OS on their devices, with the software then updated by Roku. Read more...

Leaked emails shed new light on Qualcomm's refusal to supply Apple with modems

Faheemmuddeen Patel — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 19:50:01 +0000

According to some leaked emails, Qualcomm and Apple tried to remain in business despite the licensing issues. According to the emails, Qualcomm asked Apple to use its modems in 50% of its devices. Read more...

Apple pays Dialog $600 million for its assets and power management tech

Jay Bonggolto — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 12:48:01 +0000

Apple is bolstering its efforts to develop more efficient chips by licensing Dialog Semiconductor's power management integrated circuits and acquiring its certain assets in a new deal. Read more...

BlackBerry planning to license its own fork of Android to device makers

Dreyer Smit — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 14:26:01 +0000

Seemingly taking several pages out of the playbook written by Microsoft, BlackBerry has made its intentions clear that it is aiming to license out its in-house fork of Android to device makers. Read more...

Google could be paying Apple nearly $3 billion in licensing according to investment firm

Dreyer Smit — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 20:16:01 +0000

In a recent note to investors, Bernstein analysts noted that Apple could be in danger of losing a golden goose if Google becomes confident enough to believe Apple wouldn't jump to Bing. Read more...

Kodak announces Android tablets for European markets, starting at €79.99

Usama Jawad — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 07:52:01 +0000

In collaboration with Archos, Kodak has announced two Android tablets for the European market. The devices, starting at €79.99, offer ordinary specifications, with dedicated apps for image editing. Read more...

BlackBerry wins $815m in royalty dispute against Qualcomm

Vishal Laul — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:14:01 +0000

BlackBerry has won about $815 million as a refund for overpayments made to Qualcomm. The award is non-appealable and has seen BlackBerry's stock jump by 15 percent since the announcement. Read more...

Microsoft signs licensing partnership with Casio for smartwatch technologies

Andy Weir — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:52:01 +0000

Microsoft has announced "an outstanding partnership" to license patents for smartwatch technologies to Casio, whose devices it described as the "best-in-class products in this space." Read more...

The BlackBerry brand may soon appear on tablets, wearables, and more

Florin Bodnarescu — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 08:26:01 +0000

It looks like the BlackBerry brand may soon pop up on more than just phones. In a recent earnings call, CEO John Chen hinted at possible tablets, wearables, and even medical devices using it. Read more...

Archos to launch Kodak-branded tablets in Europe thanks to licensing agreement

Florin Bodnarescu — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 10:20:02 +0000

In a press release, imaging tech pioneer Kodak announced it would license its brand to French multinational electronics company Archos, for use in the European tablet market. Read more...

With the release of Windows Server 2016, licensing to move from socket to core

Steven Parker — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 10:02:02 +0000

Perhaps in a bid to combat lost revenue for the striking amount of cores per processor now available on the market, Microsoft is now moving from 'socket' to 'core' with it's new licensing. Read more...

No, Microsoft won't cut off support for Windows 10 in four years

Vlad Dudau — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 15:32:01 +0000

A new story is making the rounds which claims that users might be forced to pay Microsoft for updates to Windows 10 after a short two to four years period. That story is bogus and we explain why. Read more...

7 Days: A week of Windows 10 Mobile, Samsung's latest slip-up and Clippy's machismo

Andy Weir — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 06:08:34 +0000

From HoloLens in space and Windows 10 on track, to talking Straw, the new PS4, Xbox down in Japan, and "the ultimate portable computer", it's our regular roundup of the week's top tech news. Read more...

Microsoft reveals first official international pricing info for Windows 10

Andy Weir — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 10:22:37 +0000

Microsoft has begun informing its customers how much it will cost to buy a Windows 10 Home license for those not eligible for the free upgrade offer, including information on prices outside of the US. Read more...

Microsoft: Windows Insider program is not a free upgrade path for XP users to Windows 10

Brad Sams — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 20:26:34 +0000

Over the weekend, there was quite a bit of confusion surrounding the licensing of Windows 10 and now the company has come forward, again, and clarified how Insiders Windows 10 upgrades will be handled Read more...

Windows 10 Pricing: Some questions answered, more info coming soon

Adrian Potoroaca — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:34:01 +0000

There seems to be a lot of confusion out there surrounding the "free upgrade" that Microsoft promised for Windows 7 and 8.1 users at the January 2015 press conference, here's what we know so far. Read more...

Nokia is "up to something", posts image of a black box with its logo

Andy Weir — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:20:01 +0000

Amid recent speculation over the licensing of its brand, Nokia has now said it's "up to something", posting a mysterious image showing a black box with the Nokia logo, along with tomorrow's date. Read more...

Nokia says it can license its brand for use on phones from 2016, and on other devices now

Andy Weir — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:44:01 +0000

Nokia's logo is vanishing from Lumia devices but it says it will be able to license its brand to other companies for use on handsets from Q4 2016, and that it can already do so on "other devices" now. Read more...

Google and LG agree to cross-license patents for the next 10 years

Vlad Dudau — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 09:28:01 +0000

Google and LG have entered into a long-term agreement that will let each company make use of the other's patents. The deal stretches for ten years into the future and includes all new patents. Read more...

Microsoft: Free Windows licensing brought 50 new phone and tablet partners

Vlad Dudau — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 11:46:09 +0000

Talking about the new licensing model Microsoft has implemented, Terry Myerson explained that it has been a success with 50 new partners signing up to build tablets and Windows Phone devices. Read more...

Microsoft cuts Windows licensing costs for OEMs

Tim Schiesser — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:20:16 +0000

At Computex 2013, Nick Parker of Microsoft's OEM division has confirmed that the licensing costs for Windows 8 and Windows RT have been cut for hardware partners building smaller (7-to-9-inch) tablets Read more...

Apple unable to trademark "iPad Mini" as it's too descriptive

Paul Ferson — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:09:07 +0000

Apple's iPad might be one of the most famous devices of the last decade, but it seems that their iPad Mini's name is too descriptive for the US Trademark Office to consider it trademark-able. Read more...

A guide to Microsoft Licensing types

Andrew Stevenson — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:44:50 +0000

In our two part guide to Microsoft Licensing, we aim to give you an overview of licensing rules and the restrictions Microsoft place on its software and it's users. Part one, licensing types. Read more...

Intel and Creative agree a $50 million deal

Andrew Stevenson — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:27:29 +0000

It seems that Intel is planning to improve its GPU offerings, entering into a deal with Creative to licensing ZiiLabs 3D graphics technology and integrate the ZiiLabs team into the Intel fold. Read more...

Apple's lawsuit against Motorola dismissed by judge

Paul Ferson — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:02:13 +0000

Judge Barbara Crabb has binned a case between Apple and Motorola Mobility over the licensing of patents for use in iOS devices, with both companies willing to continue to negotiate on pricing. Read more...

Microsoft and Pegatron sign Android patent agreement

Anthony Tosie — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:32:03 +0000

The two companies announced a patent deal today, which will allow Pegatron to continue selling Android- Chrome-based devices while providing Microsoft with royalties. Read more...