Sat-nav maker
TomTom has
settled its legal battle with
Microsoft
for an undisclosed sum, according to Microsoft.
TomTom will gain access to eight Microsoft patents under the deal, while
Microsoft will receive a licence to use four patents which were at the centre of
TomTom's countersuit. TomTom will also phase out the use of two Microsoft
file-management systems.
"We were able to work with TomTom to develop a patent agreement that
addresses their needs and ours in a pragmatic way," said Horacio Gutierrez,
corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of intellectual property and
licensing at Microsoft.
"When addressing intellectual property infringement issues, there are two
possible paths: securing patent coverage or not using the technology at issue.
Through this agreement, TomTom is choosing a combination of both paths to meet
the unique needs of its business, and we are glad to help them do so."
Microsoft
filed
suit against TomTom in February, accusing the company of violating several
patents related to in-vehicle navigation systems. TomTom
filed
a countersuit on 20 March, claiming that Microsoft was violating its own
patents.
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