Microsoft, Toyota announce connected car patent license agreement

Microsoft on Wednesday announced a new connected car patent license agreement with Toyota.  While the two companies have long had a strong partnership, this latest patent license agreement builds on the collaboration on the Azure-based Toyota Big Data Center.

According to Microsoft, over the next three years, more than 90 percent of all cars will be connected, and we’re at a critical inflection point that will change how we drive. As a result, the company is working with the world’s leading automotive companies and suppliers to deliver connected car technologies and services to customers. In a statement, Erich Andersen, corporate vice president and chief IP counsel of Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group, reflected on what the partnership means for Microsoft.

“Microsoft invests $11.4 billion annually in research and development and for more than 30 years has been developing innovative technologies that are powering today’s connected car experiences. When you look across telematics, infotainment, safety and other systems in today’s connected cars, you find Microsoft technologies and innovation… Microsoft doesn’t make cars; we are working closely with today’s car companies to help them meet customer demands, and we’re pleased today to announce the licensing of our patented technology to our partner, Toyota.”

Toyota is already a valued partner of Microsoft through the Toyota Connected program and an early adopter of Azure IP Advantage. Microsoft had previously detailed plans for the Connected Car program, highlighting that they continue to collaborate with the automotive industry at every point in the supply chain. With the Connected Car program, auto manufacturers can access to parents for Operating Systems, File Storage, Gesture Computing, GUI, Voice Recognition, and more. Tokuhisa Nomura, executive general manager of Toyota’s Advanced R&D and Engineering Company, remarked on this.

“This is an exciting time in the industry, and we believe that to create the best, most immersive connected car experiences, automotive makers should partner with technology leaders like Microsoft…Through this patent partnership between Toyota and Microsoft, we will be able to innovate faster to deliver new, contextual and immersive experiences to our customers”

As time passes, the technology in cars will no doubt continue to accelerate and Microsoft will be right there to help. Those who are interested in learning more about the connected car licensing program can visit the IP licensing website or contact a licensing executive.