Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has said the Android mobile operating system comes with license fees and isn’t as “free” as Google may lead some users to believe.
“Android has a patent fee,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s not like Android is free. You do have to license patents. HTC has signed a license with us and you’re going to see license fees clearly from Android as well as for Windows,” said Ballmer.
The comments come as Microsoft is suing Motorola for patent violations regarding some its handsets using the Android operating system.
Ballmer also makes the point as the company prepares for the releases of Windows Phone 7, an operating system he hopes will take the company out of a decline in market share and position it for growth to counter the growth of Google.
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