Google has announced a new alliance with Android phone manufacturers aimed at avoiding patent disputes. The new 'PAX' alliance includes Google, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Foxconn Technology Group, HMD Global, HTC, Coolpad, BQ, and Allview. The have agreed to grant each other royalty-free patent licenses covering Android and Google applications on qualified devices.
Together they own more than 230,000 patents worldwide, and the alliance is open to others joining. Google said it expects PAX to help enhance the open nature of the Android system and "promote patent peace" so members have more time to focus on innovation.
According to the latest figures from StatCounter for March, Android has now surpassed Microsoft's Windows as the world's most-used operating system, with a nearly 38 percent market share. Google said there are around 1.6 billion active Android users in the world.
