By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong offered an olive branch to visiting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a company official said Tuesday.
"The two agreed to peace talks over ongoing patent disputes, and to expand their business partnership," the official said.
He said that Samsung considers Microsoft as an ally, as its Windows mobile operating system remains a viable alternative to Google's Android in some market segments.
The main issues at the top-profile meeting were related to cloud-computing, mobile security platforms, big data and patent settlements.
"The key point is that Microsoft still hopes to continue its longtime partnership with Samsung over the coming decades," the official said.
Microsoft filed a contract lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Samsung over the companies' Android-related patent license agreement, which was concluded in 2011.
Working-level discussions have recently been underway as dispute cannot be compared to the Samsung-Apple fight, given the longtime partnership between the two.
Microsoft Korea and Samsung declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Nadella met separately with the trade minister Yoon Sang-jick to help the U.S.-licensing giant expand its business footprint, ministry officials said.
Microsoft is in talks with the government about details of the construction of its data center in Busan.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) here is also mulling the possibility of granting conditional approval for Microsoft's previous $7 billion acquisition of Nokia's mobile phone unit.
Officials say the Nadella-led Microsoft delegation asked Seoul to loosen restrictions, such as a ceiling on royalty payments, as a condition for its Nokia deal.
A key condition was to place an upper limit on the amount of royalties Samsung Electronics and other Korean technology companies pay Nokia.
Basically, Microsoft is collecting per-unit royalties on all Android devices, while Nokia, as a result of its Microsoft deal, is free to collect patent royalties from tech companies.
No other countries have placed a ceiling on royalty payments as a condition for the deal.
The antitrust watchdog, which is collaborating with the trade ministry on all sensitive issues, is entitled to review mergers between international firms if their integration might affect fair competition in the Korean market.
Officials say Samsung may collaborate with the U.S. company on the data center.
 |
Satya Nadella |
"The two agreed to peace talks over ongoing patent disputes, and to expand their business partnership," the official said.
He said that Samsung considers Microsoft as an ally, as its Windows mobile operating system remains a viable alternative to Google's Android in some market segments.
The main issues at the top-profile meeting were related to cloud-computing, mobile security platforms, big data and patent settlements.
"The key point is that Microsoft still hopes to continue its longtime partnership with Samsung over the coming decades," the official said.
Microsoft filed a contract lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Samsung over the companies' Android-related patent license agreement, which was concluded in 2011.
Working-level discussions have recently been underway as dispute cannot be compared to the Samsung-Apple fight, given the longtime partnership between the two.
Microsoft Korea and Samsung declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Nadella met separately with the trade minister Yoon Sang-jick to help the U.S.-licensing giant expand its business footprint, ministry officials said.
Microsoft is in talks with the government about details of the construction of its data center in Busan.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) here is also mulling the possibility of granting conditional approval for Microsoft's previous $7 billion acquisition of Nokia's mobile phone unit.
Officials say the Nadella-led Microsoft delegation asked Seoul to loosen restrictions, such as a ceiling on royalty payments, as a condition for its Nokia deal.
A key condition was to place an upper limit on the amount of royalties Samsung Electronics and other Korean technology companies pay Nokia.
Basically, Microsoft is collecting per-unit royalties on all Android devices, while Nokia, as a result of its Microsoft deal, is free to collect patent royalties from tech companies.
No other countries have placed a ceiling on royalty payments as a condition for the deal.
The antitrust watchdog, which is collaborating with the trade ministry on all sensitive issues, is entitled to review mergers between international firms if their integration might affect fair competition in the Korean market.
Officials say Samsung may collaborate with the U.S. company on the data center.
![[INTERVIEW] CIX talks about team chemistry, youth theme](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/64d822b04c8e45059e9e3c1765ccaf54.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
