Truce after 5 years: Microsoft and Google end patent feud, drop lawsuits

Google and Microsoft have agreed to finally put an end to their ongoing patent dispute, dismissing nearly 20 lawsuits in the U.S. and Germany, Bloomberg reported.

The tech giants have been at loggerheads since 2010, when Microsoft alleged that Google has integrated its technology in Android operating system for mobile devices without paying royalties. Among the lawsuits filed by Microsoft that year, one was against Motorola Inc., which Google later inherited as part of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

“Microsoft and Google are pleased to announce an agreement on patent issues. As part of the agreement, the companies will dismiss all pending patent infringement litigation between them, including cases related to Motorola Mobility”, the companies said in a joint statement.

The lawsuits related to a variety of technologies, including mobile phones, wifi, and patents used in Microsoft's Xbox game consoles and other Windows products. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed by the companies.

The technology leaders also said that they have been cooperating on such issues, particularly, the setting up of an EU-wide patent court by the European Union, to ensure that such lawsuits don’t become as rife in Europe as they are in the U.S.

“Google and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on certain patent matters and anticipate working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers”, the joint statement added.

However, as the companies continue to make products that compete directly with each other, the agreement does not necessarily mean that there would be no infringement lawsuits in the future, a Microsoft spokeswoman told Reuters.