Foxconn Signs Licensing Agreement With Microsoft for Android and Chrome Devices

Foxconn parent Hon Hai has signed a worldwide licensing agreement that provides coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for devices running Android and Chrome OS, including smartphones, tablets, and televisions.

The specifics of the agreement are confidential; however, Microsoft will receive royalties from Hon Hai.

“We are pleased that the list of companies benefiting from Microsoft’s Android licensing program now includes the world’s largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. “By licensing both brand name companies and their contract manufacturers, we have successfully increased the overall effectiveness and global reach of the program.”


“Hon Hai is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer that holds more than 54,000 patents worldwide,” said Samuel Fu, director of the Intellectual Property Department at Hon Hai. “We recognize and respect the importance of international efforts that seek to protect intellectual property. The licensing agreement with Microsoft represents those efforts and our continued support of international trade agreements that facilitate implementation of effective patent protection.”

Microsoft says that its specific patent licensing program for Android device makers has resulted in signed license agreements with numerous companies including Samsung, LG, HTC, Acer and Barnes & Noble.