Thursday, July 8, 2010

Microsoft, DENSO Tie On Dashboard Navigation Patents

Microsoft Corp. said last night that it has inked a patent cross licensing deal with automotive electronics firm DENSO Corp.. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to the firms, the deal will give DENSO access to Microsoft's patents for its current and future product lines, including auto-drive and navigation technologies. In exchange, Microsoft also will gain access to DENSO patents, and will be compensated for its access to Microsoft's patents. Microsoft said it has previously licensed its technology to personal navigation device makers Alpine Electronics Inc., Pioneer Corp. and TomTom NV. The license to DENSO specifically covers automotive infotainment and in-dash navigation.