Google, Microsoft end no suing each other ‘pact’ – Times of India

Microsoft and Google are two of the biggest tech companies in the world and are rivals in some spaces where they end up clashing with each other. Back in 2015, the two companies had signed a ‘pact’ under which they agreed not to sue each other. Now, according to a report by The Financial Times, the two companies have decided to end the pact.
The report says that the pact was supposed to be renewed in April 2021 but the two companies decided not to continue with it. The report further cites sources that claim that the pact didn’t lead to better cooperation between the two firms.
At the time the pact was signed — in 2015 — there were about 20 international cases that Google and Microsoft were embroiled in. With the pact signed, they all came to an end and the two firms reached a settlement — reportedly included financial arrangements as well.
The Financial Times report suggests that a source claimed that Google ended up benefitting more than Microsoft from the deal. It was alleged that Microsoft working with Google meant Android apps running on Windows. That didn’t happen till recently when Microsoft announced Windows 11 and said that Android apps will run on it. However, on Windows 11, Android apps will have to be downloaded through the Amazon App Store and not Google Play Store.
One of the other reason is the anti-trust enquiries that big tech companies are facing in the US. A series of measures are being proposed in the US to curb the tech companies clout and power. Google — along with Apple and others — are a ‘target’ of these measures but interestingly Microsoft isn’t a part of the companies that are being looked at.