Google and LG have entered into a patent cross-licensing deal, the latest partnership seeking to reduce the threat of lawsuits between major tech companies.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday, covers “a broad range of products and technologies” built on the two companies’ existing patents as well as those they file over the next 10 years, they said. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
“We’re pleased to enter into this agreement with a leading global technology like LG,” said Allen Lo, Google’s deputy general counsel, in a statement.
The agreement is likely to stave off any potential patent lawsuits between the two companies like the drawn out, costly legal battles that have ensued between Apple and Samsung or Google and Oracle. Google’s Android OS is in a number of LG smartphones and the South Korean company owns patents covering smartphones, consumer electronics and other portable gadgets.
But perhaps more importantly, the Google-LG patent arrangement may support new technology for connected devices for the home.
LG has already partnered with other companies like Google and Nest to develop Internet-connected home appliances. LG also offers its line of Smart ThinQ appliances that can be monitored and controlled from afar using a mobile app.
The deal allows each company easier access to technology from the other.
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