On the heels of Apple Inc.’s large patent lawsuit against HTC, Microsoft Corp. and HTC  Corp. announced a patent deal for an undisclosed sum. Under the deal, HTC will pay Microsoft a confidential amount for intellectual property rights related to mobile phones running the Android mobile platform.

What is interesting about the deal is that Microsoft doesn’t own the patents surrounding the Android operating system, which was designed by Google.  Apparently, Microsoft and HTC believe that some of Microsoft’s patented technology might overlap with Android technology.

Many questions remain – Will Microsoft use this deal to seek out and justify suits against other Android handset manufacturers? Is this a Google-friendly move?  One thing is certain, all of them are paying lots of attorneys fees.

SOURCE: PCMag.com:  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363175,00.asp