Microsoft and Xiaomi announce patent deal

Microsoft and Chinese electronics company Xiaomi have agreed a patent cross-licensing and transfer deal as part of a global partnership between the companies.

In an expansion of their existing partnership, the companies said they wanted to “provide innovative user experiences” on mobile devices.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Under the agreement Xiaomi has also agreed to install Microsoft software on its smartphones.

Xiang Wang, senior vice president at Xiaomi, said: “We are excited to be working closely with Microsoft on a broad technology collaboration partnership.”

Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft, added: “Together with Xiaomi, we’re bringing the very best in mobile productivity to millions more customers in China and around the world.”