Windows Phone may be floundering, but Android’s success has been a fiscal boon to Microsoft. The company made $1 billion last year from a patent licensing deal that it struck with Samsung over certain features in Android that allegedly infringe the Redmond-based company’s intellectual property, according to court filings revealed today.
Microsoft’s lawsuit against Samsung was unsealed on Friday, revealing that the software maker believes it is owed $6.9 million in unpaid interest from last year. Microsoft sued in August, asking a federal court to rule that its Nokia purchase didn’t breach the company’s contract with Samsung. That contract calls for the Korean electronics giant to pay Redmond a royalty for each Android phone and tablet it makes. A lot is at stake in the case, as is made clear by the details unsealed Friday. Microsoft notes in the suit that Samsung paid it $1 billion last year under the patent agreement.