Recently we learned that Apple attempted to license its patents to Samsung, and it looks like that wasn’t the only deal Apple looked into with its rivals. According to Reuters, Apple licensed a number of design patents to its historical enemy Microsoft, but with an ”anti-cloning agreement” to prevent the company from churning out iPad and iPhone clones.
This information comes out of the testimony of Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler, and it appears that Apple was happy to license out the same patents that it’s accusing Samsung of violating. The patents keep the “unique user experience” of iOS as protected, and have language built-in to prevent Microsoft from copying the look and feel of the OS.
“There was no right with respect to these design patents to build clones of any type,” said Teksler.
The patents that Apple offered to Samsung did not involved user interface.
[via TNW]
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