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Tech giants bond in patent pact

Tech giants bond in patent pact

In a move that will be warmly received by the world’s IT community, Microsoft and Fuji Xerox unveiled a cross-licensing deal on 22 March, in which the firms will have access to each other’s patents for future and existing innovations. The deal is intended to help both firms speed up their research and development programmes, with the beneficial side-effect of a balanced legal climate between them.

Under the terms of the deal, copier manufacturer and data solutions provider, Fuji Xerox, will be able to use Microsoft patents in the development of products involving both open-source and proprietary software. In return, Microsoft will be able to tap Fuji Xerox technology and incorporate it into its Office infrastructure, or any forthcoming project it may be working on.

Microsoft general counsel and senior vice president, Brad Smith, said: ‘Both Fuji Xerox and Microsoft have a strong commitment to innovation, and the broad patent agreement will give us both the freedom to continue developing and building technologies that will ultimately work better together.

‘This agreement is an example of our desire to share our innovations with other companies and build a stronger IT ecosystem through access to intellectual property.’

Fuji Xerox senior vice president, Kiyoshi Saito, echoed Smith’s enthusiasm: ‘We are pleased to be able to reach a broad, mutually beneficial patent agreement with Microsoft that respects each company’s patent portfolio, encourages greater interoperability and provides valuable protection for the customers of each company’s products and services.’

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