Microsoft has signed a patent agreement with yet another company employing Google’s Android mobile operating system (OS), after concluding a similar agreement with HTC and filing a lawsuit against Motorola as well as Nook maker Barnes & Noble and its hardware partners.

The Redmond-based company has now signed a patent agreement with rugged notebook and tablet PC manufacturer General Dynamics Itronix. This agreement will provide the latter with broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for General Dynamics Itronix’s mobile devices that operate on the Android platform.

Although the contents of the agreement have not been disclosed, Microsoft will receive royalties from General Dynamics Itronix under the terms of this agreement.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with General Dynamics Itronix, which is an example of how industry leaders address intellectual property,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft.

Mark Johnston, director of Strategic Computing Solutions for General Dynamics Itronix, stated: “The completion of this agreement enables Itronix to meet the evolving demands of our customers with more diverse applications and increased functionality in products that incorporate the Android platform.”

 

Microsoft launched its intellectual property (IP) licensing program in December 2003, and since that time the company has entered into over 700 licensing agreements.