Apple wants patent fee for Android phones

BANGALORE, INDIA: Apple has approached Samsung and Motorola to ask for patent licensing fees of $5 to $15 per handset.

Apparently, Apple is not particularly interested in earning money from Android, but mainly wants to make Android more expensive for resellers, suggested some news reports.

This is exactly how Microsoft has been fighting Android for the last couple of years.

It found some patents, accused Android of infringing them, and then approached Android resellers for licence fees. A lot of Android resellers, including Samsung and HTC, paid up. Microsoft filed lawsuits against companies that refused, like Barnes & Noble and Motorola, which is soon becoming a part of Google.

Microsoft probably didn't earn enough money from these licensing deals to move the needle for investors, but it did make Android somewhat more expensive than free, said a Business Insider report.