Snippet: Apple Licensed Patents to Microsoft ☍

Dan Levine and Edwin Chan report on an interesting tidbit for Reuters (via MacRumors):

Apple Inc licensed its prized design patents to Microsoft Corp but with an “anti-cloning agreement” to prevent copying of its iPhone and iPad, an Apple executive said on Monday….

…Apple’s decision to license its design patents to Microsoft was consistent with its corporate strategy, Teksler said, because the agreement prohibited Microsoft from manufacturing copies.

“There was no right with respect to these design patents to build clones of any type,” Teksler said.

Nice to see someone playing nicely in the tech industry—still another reason why I want to see Windows Phone to be a success.

Update: The Verge found a similar 1997 anti-cloning agreement to provide some context.