July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

One of the vital details missing from the Nokia-RIM patent agreement announced last week was just how much money is changing hands between the two companies.

Now, thanks to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (found by AllThingsD), we finally know: RIM will pay Nokia a one-off fee of $65 million (€50 million).

Still missing however, are the details to the other half of the deal, wherein RIM will also pay Nokia in recurring royalty payouts. I assume these details will make themselves known somewhere down the line.

While any money coming out of RIM’s pockets is hugely significant nowadays, the payouts are sure to be cheaper than a protracted court battle between the two cash-strapped companies. So, despite the settlement fees, it’s still a win for RIM.

But RIM isn’t just losing money as of late — it’s making it as well. The company announced on Thursday that it’s sold mobile content delivery provider NewBay Technologies for $55.5 million. While that selling price is a major hit compared to the $100 million RIM paid for the company in 2010, the money almost covers the complete cost of RIM’s first Nokia payment. So it’s not a bad move by RIM, all told.

Korean electronics manufacturer LG has signed a patent licensing agreement with Microsoft so it can be protected from lawsuits concerning Android and Chrome OS, the two companies announced Thursday.

Microsoft has made similar agreements with 10 other companies, including Samsung, HTC, Acer, Quanta and Wistron. The big M earns a small cut from every Android phone or tablet manufactured by the licensees.

The agreement covers LG’s phones, tablets and any device that features Android and Chrome OS. Actual terms of the deal, such as how much money Microsoft will earn off each device, were not disclosed.

“This agreement with LG means that more than 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” said Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel of the Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft, in a statement. “We are proud of the continued success of our program in resolving the IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome OS.”

Companies such as Barnes & Noble (with its Android-based Nook tablets) and Motorola Mobility (with Android phones and tablets) continue to battle Microsoft in court over this same issue. Back in November, Barnes & Noble said in a letter to the U.S. Justice Department that “Microsoft is embarking on a campaign of asserting trivial and outmoded patents against manufacturers of Android devices.”

Do you think Microsoft is playing fair when it comes to Android patent deals?