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30 October 2015Patents

Google and SAP reach patent licensing deal

Google has entered into a long term cross-licensing patent agreement with computer software company SAP.

The deal, announced today, October 29, covers existing patents, as well as any patents filed by both companies within the next five years.

Further details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Kirk Dailey, head of patent transactions at Google, said: “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with a leading global technology company like SAP and welcome discussions with any company interested in similar arrangements.”

Tony DiBartolomeo, chief IP counsel at SAP, said: “We are proud to announce this important agreement with Google, a global leader in technology.

“Giving talented engineers and developers the freedom to build great products is key to promoting innovation. Patent cross-licence agreements like this one increase freedom to operate and prevent distractions from unnecessary patent litigation,” he added.

The latest move bolsters the relationship between the two parties. Both companies are members of the 2014 License on Transfer (LOT) agreement, which comprises of a group of software companies seeking to offer protection for companies from litigation by non-practising entities (NPEs).

If a LOT member sells a patent to a non-member, it enacts an agreement that prevents the non-member from filing an infringement claim against another LOT member based on that patent.

The operation is intended to prevent 'privateering'—defined as when a company sells a patent to an NPE which then uses it to file abusive litigation claims.

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