Microsoft and Canon announced a wide-ranging patent agreement this morning, with each company receiving a broad license to the other’s patent portfolio as part of the deal.
The companies declined to detail the specific technologies involved, but Canon’s involvement in areas including imaging, printing, cameras, semiconductors and video equipment could provide extra protection for Microsoft as it expands further into hardware.
Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Both companies have highly ranked patent portfolios, according to IEEE Spectrum’s “Patent Power 2013″ ranking of patent portfolios across different industries. The companies have partnered on products in the past, and they described the new deal as a natural extension of their existing relationship.
It’s the latest in a string of patent licensing agreements struck by Microsoft. The company says it has reached more than 1,100 licensing agreements since launching its intellectual-property licensing program more than 10 years ago.
