Google claims Microsoft’s Samsung Android licensing deal is ‘extortion’

“Google in a statement accused Microsoft of effective bullying with its Samsung cross-licensing deal. Consistent with its message but more aggressive than usual, the Android creator likened the strategy to extortion,” Electronista reports. “Because few customers were buying Windows Phones, Microsoft had decided to tax Android instead.”

“‘This is the same tactic we’ve seen time and again from Microsoft,’ Google wrote. ‘Failing to succeed in the smartphone market, they are resorting to legal measures to extort profit from others’ achievements and hinder the pace of innovation. We remain focused on building new technology and supporting Android partners,'” Electronista reports.

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Google seems to be feeling the heat.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

Related article:
Microsoft and Samsung cross-license patents; Samsung to pay Microsoft royalties for Android devices – September 28, 2011

31 Comments

  1. “extort profit from others’ achievements and hinder the pace of innovation.”

    Hey Google…Don’t you mean the achievements and innovation that you have stolen from Apple? Hypocrisy at it’s highest, but that’s quite typical of Google.

  2. Stealing is not extortion. Therefore stealing is justified but extortion is not. Extortion implies you have patents to begin with. Stealing just means reaching out and grabbing patented technology without paying for it.

    Google’s slide into irrelevance continues apace. I hope Ellison rapes them for mucho dinaros.

  3. Yea, Google, because Samsung is obviously a little guy with no resources to fight a multi-billion dollar company on a worldwide scale. It can’t possibly be that Android infringes on everyone’s stuff.

    1. Google buys Android on August 17, 2005 for about 50,000.
      Is is not the CREATOR – correct.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_acquisitions_by_Google

      The unveiling of the Android distribution on November 5, 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 84 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.

      —-

      Android consists of a kernel based on the Linux kernel, with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine with just-in-time compilation to run compiled Java code.

  4. Hahahah! This just keeps getting better and better! MG Siegler at Techcrunch just reported that Micrisoft’s head of communications, Frank Shaw responded to Google’s statement on Twitter:

    “let me boil down the Google statment they gave to @parislemon [Siegler’s blog], from 48 words to 1: Waaaah.”

    Google is not just aggrieved; they’re deeply worried about the impact on Android. It’s one thing for the big boys like HTC and Samsung to pony up royalties to Microsoft, but the smaller players may very well decide that the margins in the Android race to the bottom are already thin enough, without having to give Microsoft their pound of flesh. If Microsoft then offers favorable licensing terms for Windows Phone, you may see manufacturers deciding that the legal mess surrounding Android isn’t worth it, and jumping into bed with Redmond. With Nokia already on board, Windows Phone may displace Android over the next couple of years, leaving Apple and Microsoft as the Big Two in mobile. This is what Google fears most.

    Pull up a chair and break out the popcorn. This is going to be fun.

    1. Yup, and all this drama was absolutely unnecessary. As S. Jobs said, Google could have partnered with Apple and been in a position to dominate mobile and mobile advertising and drive Micro$oft to the fringes, but Google is about to not only impale itself but give Micro$oft a front row seat at the mobile party. What a pity.

      1. i agree

        Already google makes almost no money off android as OEMs busily load Bing, Bidu etc on their android phones (apple makes at least 50 times the profits in mobile). Google has also dmitted two thirds of their mobile search queries comes from iOS.

  5. File system check Google!

    “We expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers.”

    ~ Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founders of advertising funded search engine Google

  6. All the patent pissing aside, Google did say one thing I have to agree with 110%

    MS has has failed at mobile.

    Hopefully for their sake they get their other strategies together but I am not holding my breath.

  7. And Samsung would not have agreed to the licensing deal unless it believed Microsoft had a pretty damn good case against it. When you know you will lose this fight, negotiate something less damaging and live to play another day.

  8. I can’t believe it. Google wants to use everybody’s IP for free and then it tags it innovation. Innovation on what? On the way of stealing and whining, just that. Android fanboys are alike. They pirate, steal, complain when rebuked, want free code, free OS, open source, open thievery. Some things are free, others are not. Get over it, Google.

    1. Yes. Hurray Apple – Build the iCloud and Free US from this crap.

      And then maybe one day soon – not so far into the future… just as APPLE sees with FaceTime and iMesseging – CELLULAR VOICE CALLING is free equally under the APPLE umbrella.

    2. Google knows full well it’s guilty. The screaming accusations are to deflect attention away from itself. By diverting the attention to whether their accusers are fair, they avoid the inevitable result of the court losses or settlements, which is that they are thieves.

    1. Maybe, Apple plotted this long ago on poor little creator Andrew-droidian – only to appear on better term with Microsoft?

      Perhaps, back in 1989 to 1992 while Mr. Andy Rubin work at Apple – he was seen as a mischievous kind of person and the bigger monster engineers thought — hey — lets plants some crazy ideas in this boys head and see where he takes it?

      And just maybe, the spin off company of Apples called, Magic Cap – seeded another opportunity into programming Rubin’s very brain – manipulating him as a Pawn in a Master Chess match. Apple whimsical revenge had begun far before iRobot. The poor cheese-ter, Rubin never saw it coming.

      Quite possibly, the seeds began to grow, after the death of the Newton. Rubin then had his own start-up cleverly named, Danger Inc for a reason. Some way into Microsoft… boo haha. The Apple core had it’s worm. Danger Inc was later acquired by Microsoft. And most-likely, those three nice patents Ruby-the-robot had – must surely now be the property of Bill Gates. which might explain why Microsoft sees it rightful to extort Google since the Pawn, iRobot-Rubin sold-out to Google.

      Yes, Rubin thought he had out-smarted everyone when he sold his secret other up-start called Android Inc to Google. Taking all the secretive ways he learnt back in Apple only to BACKFIRE as APPLE had planned al; along.

      Skillfully played Apple — indeed. The Friction of Reality.

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