Chinese Xiaomi buys 1,500 patents from US Microsoft

As part of the deal, it will ship smartphones and tablets loaded with Microsoft software, including Office and Skype, to buyers in India and China. No financial details of the partnership were disclosed. “Xiaomi and Microsoft announced today a deepening of our partnership... The companies’ new collaboration also includes a cross-license and patent transfer agreement,” Xiaomi said in an emailed response. 

Microsoft sold Xiaomi nearly 1,500 patents that read on a variety of technologies from its worldwide portfolio, including wireless communications, video, cloud and multimedia, it added. 

“This agreement reflects the deep respect Xiaomi and Microsoft have for intellectual property rights. We are committed to a healthy patent system and standing against the abusive practices we’ve seen at times in our industry,” the Chinese firm said.