Sorry i do not have a date attached to this article. I like the second last paragraph!! Cisco and Google have have entered into a long-term patent cross-licensing agreement covering a broad range of products and technologies. The announcement comes the same week that The Kudelski Group announced an end to any pending litigation and a cross-patent licensing deal with Cisco.

Talking about the Google deal, Dan Lang, Cisco’s Vice President of Intellectual Property, said his company wants to encourage innovation and freedom of operation. Both Cisco and Google are members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness, an advocacy group for patent reform, and Cisco has pledged not to sell patents to patent assertion entities “in order to help encourage innovation rather than litigation”.

“In today’s overly-litigious environment, cross-licensing is an effective way for technology companies to work together and help prevent unnecessary patent lawsuits,” Lang comments.

The agreement is designed to allow each company to extract significant value from its patent portfolio through a license to the other’s portfolio and by helping to reduce the risk of future litigation. “It stands in direct contrast to actions such as patent privateering – or the transfer of patents to patent assertion entities – that harm consumers,” Cisco emphasizes.

Allen Lo, Google’s Deputy General Counsel for Patents, adds: “Our agreement with Cisco will reduce the potential for litigation, letting us focus instead on building great new products. We’re pleased to enter into this cross-license and we welcome discussions with any company interested in a similar arrangement.”

You can read how Kudelski and Cisco have resolved all pending litigation and signed a cross-license patent agreement here.

Cheers, S.E.