Over the past couple of years, Microsoft has been making patent license agreements with many hardware companies that sell devices using Google's Android OS. Today, Microsoft made its latest deal official, this time with the large Chinese-based company ZTE.
While the press release has yet to appear on Microsoft's website, Cnet.com reports that today's patent deal between Microsoft and ZTE covers both Android and Chrome OS products. While specifics about the agreement were not announced, it's likely that ZTE will pay Microsoft a percentage of every hardware product it sells with Android and Chrome.
Microsoft just signed a similar deal with Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn, last week. Microsoft says that 80 percent of the Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now covered by agreements with the company, along with a majority of Android devices sold worldwide.
ZTE has already worked with Microsoft in developing Windows Phone devices such as the ZTE Render. The company also made a Windows 8 tablet, the ZTE V98, that was first announced in 2012 and was finally released in early 2013.
The two biggest holdouts in signing Android patent license deals with Microsoft are Huawei and Motorola, the latter of which is now owned by Google.
Source: CNet | Image via ZTE
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