TOKYO, Japan and REDMOND, Wash., USA--Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. today announced a broad patent agreement for the purpose of allowing access to each company's respective patent portfolios and to accelerate research and development. Fuji Xerox, which is owned by FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation and Xerox Corporation, is a leading investor in Research & Development relating to document management systems and maintains a broad patent portfolio including patents in the United States and in Japan. Like Fuji Xerox, Microsoft has a long history of R&D and maintains many patents related to software and computer hardware innovations.

Through the agreement, Fuji Xerox will obtain access to Microsoft's patents for Fuji Xerox's existing and future product lines, including products that incorporate proprietary source and open source software, such as Linux. Likewise, Microsoft will gain access to Fuji Xerox patents for Microsoft's existing and future proprietary product lines, including MicrosoftR Office. The agreement contains monetary and non-monetary provisions that allow both companies to receive compensation from their patent portfolios.

As with most commercial transactions, the terms of the agreement are not being disclosed at this time.

"We are pleased to be able to reach a mutually beneficial broad patent agreement with Microsoft that respects for each company's patent portfolio, encourages greater interoperability, and provides valuable protection for the customers of each company's products and services," said Kiyoshi Saito, senior vice president of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

"Both Fuji Xerox and Microsoft have a strong commitment to innovation, and the broad patent agreement will give us both the freedom to continue developing and building technologies that will ultimately work better together," said Brad Smith, senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Microsoft. "This agreement is an example of our desire to share our innovations with other companies and build a stronger IT ecosystem through access to intellectual property."