Microsoft announces patent license agreement for connected cars with Toyota

Microsoft yesterday announced a new patent licensing agreement with Toyota that includes broad coverage for connected car technologies. Last year, Toyota created a new company called Toyota Connected to serve as the their data science hub as it seeks to connect cars to people’s daily lives. They selected Microsoft’s Azure as the cloud computing platform, providing a hybrid solution for everything Toyota Connected creates as it works to make driving more personal, more intuitive and safer.

“Microsoft invests $11.4 billion annually in research and development and for more than 30 years has been developing innovative technologies that are powering today’s connected car experiences. When you look across telematics, infotainment, safety and other systems in today’s connected cars, you find Microsoft technologies and innovation,” said Erich Andersen, corporate vice president and chief IP counsel of Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group. “Microsoft doesn’t make cars; we are working closely with today’s car companies to help them meet customer demands, and we’re pleased today to announce the licensing of our patented technology to our partner, Toyota.”

“This is an exciting time in the industry, and we believe that to create the best, most immersive connected car experiences, automotive makers should partner with technology leaders like Microsoft,” said Tokuhisa Nomura, executive general manager of Toyota’s Advanced R&D and Engineering Company. “Through this patent partnership between Toyota and Microsoft, we will be able to innovate faster to deliver new, contextual and immersive experiences to our customers.”

Microsoft yesterday announced a new program for automakers to license its intellectual property (IP) for connected cars. Toyota is the first company to join this program.