Google enters into a decade-long patent sharing deal with LG

Google has entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement with LG that covers “a broad range of products and technologies” that have been built on the existing patents of the two companies, as well as those that they file over the next decade.

“LG values its relationship with Google, and this agreement underscores both companies’ commitment to developing new products and technologies that enhance consumers’ lives,” according to a statement by J.H. Lee, the executive vice president and head of LG’s Intellectual Property Center, as quoted by Tech Crunch.

The agreement, which was announced on Tuesday, is likely to stave off any potential lawsuits between the two major technology companies, similar to the costly, drawn out legal battles that have been fought by Apple and Samsung or Google and Oracle.

Many of LG’s smartphones are powered by Google’s Android operating system, and the South Korean company is one of the biggest manufacturers of Android-powered devices, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the two companies have partnered up, especially when you consider that Google made a similar deal with Samsung back in January.

“We’re pleased to enter into this agreement with a leading global technology company like LG,” said Allen Lo, Google’s Deputy General Counsel for Patents, as quoted by CNET. “By working together on cross-licenses like this, companies can focus on bringing great products and services to consumers around the world.”

Smartphones aren’t the only products that serve to benefit from this agreement. LG has already partnered with Google and Google-owned Nest to develop Internet-connected devices for the home, and this partnership could serve to further improve the smart-home appliances of both companies and, as a result, benefit consumers.