That willingness might come as a surprise to anyone following the patent wars currently gripping the tech industry, where for the past year Microsoft and Motorola have been more than happy to fire intellectual-property lawsuits against one another. Microsoft launched its first salvo in October 2010, alleging that Motorola s Android smartphones violated nine patents. The patents at issue relate to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola s Android smartphone devices that are essential to the smartphone user experience, Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual property and Licensing, said at the time. Motorola shot back with a legal broadside alleging infringement of 16 patents by Microsoft s PC and Server software, Windows mobile software, and Xbox products. The case is still winding its way through the system.