Microsoft gets more Android money: signs patent deals with ViewSonic, Acer

Add two more companies to Microsoft’s collection of Android patent partners. ViewSonic and Acer  have signed patent agreements with Microsoft to license patents for their Android smartphones and tablets, Microsoft announced today. That means Microsoft will receive a licensing fee for every Android device those manufacturers ship.

Microsoft is already said to be earning as much as $150 million from its Android licensing deal with HTC. Now the company will be further intertwined with Android’s success. It also means that Microsoft will most likely continue to earn more money from Android than from Windows Phone sales.

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Microsoft also signed a patent agreement with General Dynamics Itronix in June. Today’s deals will likely earn the company more cash, since ViewSonic and Acer are more established consumer brands.

By agreeing to license Microsoft’s patents, both ViewSonic and Acer don’t have to worry about Microsoft bringing legal action against them for Android patent violations. It also protects them somewhat from further Android litigation from the likes of Apple.

The Microsoft patent agreement didn’t help HTC much, though, since Apple sued it a month before the deal was made. HTC just recently turned the tables on Apple and sued it for patent violations, following Apple’s scary patent win from the ITC.