Microsoft and LG Electronics announced Wednesday evening a patent cross-license agreement that will enable LG Electronics (LGE) to employ Linux in its products without fear of Microsoft reprisals.
The arrangement is intended to give LGE customers peace of mind over intellectual property (IP) issues.
The agreement follows a similar deal between Novell and Microsoft, according to a Microsoft representative. In that arrangement, Novell and Microsoft agreed to not sue each other's customers over IP issues. This issue has risen to the forefront lately, with Microsoft recently arguing that Linux and open source software violate 235 Microsoft patents.