Google Inc and SAP SE have entered into a five-year patent cross licensing agreement, which will cover both the companies’ existing patents and those filed over the next five years.
The agreement builds the relationship between the two companies, which joined the LOT Network in 2014, a community-based patent licensing agreement designed to reduce patent troll litigation and patent privateering.
While the companies only said the agreement will cover “a broad range of products and technologies”, in May SAP CEO Bill McDermott said the businesses would work together on projects focused on business analytics and enterprise applications, with collaboration on Google Apps and SAP’s Lumira analytics platform.
“We are pleased to enter into this agreement with a leading global technology company like SAP and welcome discussions with any company interested in similar arrangements,” said Kirk Dailey, head of patent transactions at Google. “Cross-license agreements like this enable companies to focus on bringing great products and services to consumers around the world.”
Tony DiBartolomeo, chief IP Ccounsel, SAP, added, “Giving talented engineers and developers the freedom to build great products is key to promoting innovation. Patent cross-license agreements like this one increase freedom to operate and prevent distractions from unnecessary patent litigation. And, like Google, SAP welcomes similar discussions with like-minded companies.”
