Huawei pays off Apple and Microsoft-led consortium in Android patent spat

While Google does all it can to avoid the Android patent headache brought on by the "Rockstar" patent group, another of the consortium's targets has decided it wants out.FOSSPatents reports that Huawei, one of seven Android OEMs sued alongside the search giant, filed a joint motion with Rockstar and its subsidiary to dismiss claims that it infringed on numerous networking and UI patents. The move suggests that the Chinese company chose the less costly option of settling instead of embarking on an expensive legal battle. Bear in mind that the Rockstar consortium counts Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Sony and Ericsson as members, which closed the purchase of thousands of patents previously owned by Nortel for $4.5 billion. With a deal seemingly worked out, Huawei is free to use Rockstar's patents without fear of future reprisals, leaving Samsung, LG, ASUS, HTC, Pantech, ZTE and Google firmly in Rockstar's crosshairs. Huawei's settlement could prove decisive as it could demonstrate to a court that the group's patent claims have merit, potentially motivating the remaining phone makers to broker their own deals.