Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Microsoft, Cadence Ink Patent Sharing Agreement

Software heavyweight Microsoft Corp. reported Wednesday that it has signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Cadence Design Systems Inc., a publisher of circuit design applications. Microsoft said the agreement expands the long-standing relationship between the two firms and will permit broad access to each company's respective patent portfolios. This sharing should facilitate future technical collaboration in areas of shared interest, Microsoft explained, adding that the cross-licensing will span many areas. Microsoft has cross-licensing agreements with several businesses, including Cisco Systems Inc., LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Siemens AG and Toshiba Corp. Cadence is based in San Jose, Calif. and provides applications used by circuit designers to design semiconductors.