The Wall Street Journal’s Ian Sherr this afternoon reports that Apple (AAPL) has licensed some patent technology that is at the heart of its suit against Samsung Electronics (005930KS) to Microsoft (MSFT), with a restriction that Microsoft not engage in “cloning” of the technology, citing court testimony.
Sherr writes that Apple’s head of patents, Boris Teksler, said last Friday during testimony in the jury trial in San Jose, California, that Microsoft had been provided with a license to some of the same technology that is at issue in the suit, although he decline to get into details of what things had been permitted to Microsoft.
Sherr speculates that “Apple could be allowing Microsoft to use its �bounce-back� patent or its �double-tap� patent, but won�t allow Microsoft to copy the iPhone�s trade dress to the degree it says Samsung did.”
In reporting on the Microsoft aspect earlier today, CNet’s Josh Lowensohn earlier wrote that Apple had approached Samsung about striking a limited licensing deal back when Apple first contacted the company to complain that it was infringing on Apple’s designs for its iPhone.
And in somewhat vaguely related news, Bloomberg this afternoon reported that Research in Motion (RIMM) has said it will be capable of licensing its next version of its BlackBerry operating system, “BB10,” to outside parties, if it should chose to do so.
Apple shares today close up $8.30, or 1.3%, at $630.
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