#HMD joins #PAX – #Google’s Patent Peace initiative

Google started a new initiative that aims to bring peace and end patent wars between Android OEMs. The agreements full name is “PAX: the Android Networked Cross-License Agreement”, with PAX meaning peace in Latin.

Under PAX, members grant each other royalty-free patent licenses covering Android and Google Applications on qualified devices. This community-driven clearinghouse, developed together with our Android partners, ensures that innovation and consumer choice—not patent threats—will continue to be key drivers of our Android ecosystem. PAX is free to join and open to anyone.

PAX aims to stop the patent wars between Android manufactures, thus strengthening the whole Android OS. PAX members grant each other “royalty-free” patent licenses covering Android and Google Applications. I’m not sure what specifically is covered by the license because Android and Google Applications is a broad term. Furthermore, HMD Global is a member of PAX, but the company has no technology related patents, so HMD will surely benefit from this agreement. Other members include: Google, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Foxconn Technology Group, HTC, Coolpad, BQ, and Allview. The biggest patent player in the Android ecosystem, Microsoft, is not on the list. Neither is Nokia, one of the biggest patents holder in mobile that fights its own war against Apple, that costs €100 annually.

You can learn more about PAX here.

via: PhoneArena