maladroit4u

The Tech Company that Rips Other Tech Companies Off

2013-11-08

Microsoft collects an estimated $2 billion annual profit on one of its lowest-maintenance ventures. In light of the tough row the company has been hoeing with Surface tablets and Windows phone, I bet they're happy to see this revenue coming in. Sales of their tablets and phones have been dismal, struggling to make a flash in the software giant's income. Lucky for Microsoft, they're making more on Android than on Surface tablets ($1.6 billion) and they don't have to lift a finger to make it.

That's right, Microsoft charges any Android device maker anywhere from $1 to $8 for each phone they sell with the Android operating system installed on it. This comes from patents on technology that Microsoft claims other companies are using and then charges them to license.

If you ask this humble joe (and I know you didn't, but I'll answer anyway), Microsoft's actions are equivalent to taking a streaming, wet shit on technological innovation. Who wants to build the next big thing if you might have Microgoons sending you a monthly bill for supposedly using tech Microsoft thought up some time in the past? If every software company patented and licensed everything they ever dreamt up, there's no telling what a laptop or television would cost. Five dollars here, $15 dollars there to random patent trolls and suddenly the cost of a new device is inflated to a ridiculous amount. Microsoft won't even tell what the patents cover, and they make potential license holders sign non-disclosure agreements before they even start talking.

So Microsoft will take you to court over mystery ideas that they patented. It's kind of like patenting a song about an ex-girlfriend and then suing every country singer that walks through the door.

The ideas covered by these patents are obviously not game changing, or Microsoft would be able to make money by selling their own products that use them.