Canon and Microsoft sign a joint patent cross-licensing agreement

Canon and Microsoft have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement, allowing both companies to gain licenses to each other’s patent portfolios. Thanks to this, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see Canon camera technology on future Lumia devices. Alternatively, we can also see Canon smart cameras with a Windows Phone OS rather than an Android OS.   The press release by Microsoft is at best vague about the types of patents that the companies have agreed on sharing. While it is quite evident that patents relating to digital imaging will be on offer, Microsoft has not specified anything in its statement, “This agreement covers a broad range of products and services each company offers, including certain digital imaging and mobile consumer products. Microsoft and Canon have a long history of collaborating to bring high-quality, cutting-edge products to consumers, including color technology. Contents of the agreement will not be disclosed.”   Nokia Lumia 1020 had us all impressed with its **stellar image quality.**  Recently, we also came across news of the Lumia 1020 being used for **scientific imaging as well** . With Canon coming into the picture, future camera-centric Lumia phones may get that much needed boost to take them to the next level. Another viewpoint put forward by SlashGear is that this agreement may also allow Canon to enter the smart camera market, going head to head with **Samsung Galaxy Smart cameras** , and using Windows Phone OS rather than Android OS.   These are all speculations though. We will come to know more about the result of this agreement only when we see future devices from Canon or Microsoft sporting either companies’ technologies.