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Google: We will support partners targeted in Android patent lawsuits

November 9, 2011 — 11:29am ET | By Jason Ankeny

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) executive chairman Eric Schmidt pledged support for manufacturing partners facing patent lawsuits related to its Android open-source mobile operating system. Speaking Wednesday to reporters in Taiwan, Schmidt promised Google will offer allies information sharing, industry expertise and access to its patents for licensing and legal purposes.

Both Samsung Electronics--the world's largest Android device maker--and HTC Corp. are battling patent disputes with Google's archrival Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). "We tell our partners, including the ones here in Taiwan, we will support them," Schmidt said. "For example, we have been supporting HTC in its dispute with Apple because we think that the Apple thing is not correct."

Schmidt's comments followed a day after he opened fire on claims that Android violates Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) software patents, contending that Microsoft is "scared" by the growth of the Android platform. During a news conference in South Korea, Schmidt was asked about a September 2011 agreement between Microsoft and Samsung--per terms of the deal, Microsoft will receive royalties for all Samsung smartphones and tablets running Android. The Samsung deal marks the seventh licensing agreement Microsoft has signed in the past several months with manufacturers building Android-powered devices.

"Microsoft is not telling the truth on this issue, and they are using tactics to scare people because they are scared of the success of Android," Schmidt said.

Schmidt also reiterated Tuesday that Android will remain free to manufacturing partners, vowing that Google's $12.5 billion agreement to purchase Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI) will not impact its relationship with other firms building Android devices. "We will run [Motorola] sufficiently independently so it will not violate the openness of Android," Schmidt said.

Schmidt's visit to Taiwan comes as local vendors prepare to release smartphones based on Microsoft's fledgling Windows Phone Mango update. Many analysts have speculated that manufacturers will more aggressively embrace the Windows Phone operating system in an effort to reduce their dependency on Android. "Android's hardware companies and supply chain are mostly from Taiwan. The main purpose of Schmidt's trip this time should be to gain more support and closer collaboration with the Taiwanese here," Concord Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo told Reuters.

Android continues to extend its dominance in the U.S. mobile market and now powers close to 45 percent of all smartphones nationwide according to new data issued by research firm comScore. Android closed out September with 44.8 percent market share, up 4.6 percentage points since June 2011--Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS follows at 27.4 percent, while Microsoft's Windows Phone trails at 5.6 percent, down from 5.8 percent in June.

For more:
- read this Reuters article