Embrace Microsoft's thigh, millet, how far is it from the stars to the sea? -Phone patent-IT information

"Our journey is the star of the sea", these words applied to millet was appropriate.

Millet brand since its birth, with the Internet, just a few years creating one of China's largest mobile phone brand, there are also numerous chain products, unknowingly, have been moving in the direction of eco-Empire with millet. However, cannot go on the road to Empire, millet also has a lot of trouble in recent years.

Millet in troubled times

First products, through 2015, millet is impacting sales by the low-end series of red rice, millet 4 high-end series become obsolete in millet 5 bounce, temporarily introduced millet Note No foothold in the market for high-end flagship, millet failed to hit the 4C positioning the midrange.

At the lower end of the Smartphone market, remained mired in price war with millet, TV plus, charm and blue and other brands of thousands surrounded, while millet products in fingerprint identification, metal fuselage design elements also fall behind competitors, price/performance battle increasingly difficult to play.

Secondly, in terms of sales volume, rhythm on the line, resulting in rice sales in 2015 unsatisfactory results. Originally embodied the heroism of 100 million sales target was reduced to 80 million blow 100 million. According to official data released later, millet 2015 sales exceeded 70 million.

Overseas markets also, millet 2014 into the India market and when Ericsson launched a patent lawsuit, millet by way of holding high thigh later temporarily dodged. Millet has now in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia dozens of countries and regions such as sale, but has yet to enter the United States and European markets, the reason, the lack of patents is one of the main reasons.

Of course, the millet 2015 years of ups and downs but also have a certain relationship with the external environment, first Chinese smartphone market saturated, even since the advent of the iPhone continues to grow both sales declines, and layout of domestic handset manufacturers have begun sailing plans. Another point is millet Lin once said, about millet expecting too much ... ...

Blink of an eye by the year 2016, millet was equally difficult, although late millet 5 is still popular, but still subject to price/performance model, were also left in shock after the failure of high-end "black science" to talk about. New millet Max product line though seized on the big screen to the user's needs, but it is not a mainstream product. If still in the Red series of punches, millet perhaps still difficult under price tag this year. Meanwhile, other domestic mobile phone manufacturers began to design micro-innovation, technology and even to make a breakthrough, high-end flagship distinct, it will cause great stress millet.

To sum up, millet, if you want to improve the situation in a short time, to further expand the market. Going out as soon as possible is undoubtedly the most effective programmes to stimulate sales growth .

Millet and the big Giants

Last February, the national development and Reform Commission on Qualcomm opened China's largest fine in antitrust history, while Qualcomm's patents and the licensing is also removed, millet is lost from the umbrella of Qualcomm. At the end of last year, we continued the agreement, Qualcomm allow millet development, production and sales of 3G (WCDMA and CDMA2000) and 4G devices, including tri-mode (LTE-TDD, TD-SCDMA as well as GSM) equipment, millet royalty payments to Qualcomm, which will solve a few of the issues encountered millet in the overseas market, is only a small part .

In addition to the patent agreement and Qualcomm, a millet is also selected in the United States application and patent, as of February this year, millet in the United States obtained 9 patents. In addition, the millet has taken a patent acquisition, has acquired a broad Telecom Tang 2 patents, Intel, Broadcom 31 patent 332 patent, patent design storage management, control logic, coding, covering areas such as communications, technology.

Today, millet combined again Microsoft announced that from September 2016, including Max, millet millet millet 5, 4s, red rice Note 3 and a small, red rice, 3 Mi Anzhuo device comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Skype application, including a wide range of applications. Also of note is that new cooperation also involves a patent cross-licensing and technology transfer agreements .

Microsoft have a patent? According to April 2014, China's Commerce Ministry documents show that Microsoft has a total of 310 Android patents, most of which is standards essential patents . Covers all levels using the Android operating system technology patents; WiFi, 3G/4G technology patent and ex-FAT, RDP, EAS technology patents.

Relying on these patents, Microsoft is not related to Android hardware market, but from Android manufacturers to collect billions of dollars annually in patent fees, which slaughtered manufacturers including Samsung, HTC, LG, Foxconn, Huawei, ZTE, and so on.

Therefore, the millet and Microsoft reached a patent cross license and technology transfer agreement , most likely for their stars to the sea journey escorting.

Big help, millet to the Sea still bumpy road

Millet said the past few years through the purchase of patents, access to cross-licensing means to accumulate a lot of overseas patents, but these and Huawei, ZTE and other established manufacturers than there are still many gaps, not to mention foreign patent of giants.

In addition, the patent is not a long-term solution, it is learnt that the millet from Intel gets more than 300 pieces of patents, are to submit applications and granted patents from 2000 to 2002, if the invention patent, protection for a period of 20, that is, there is not much time left millet .

Judging from the present situation, the domestic mobile phone market and overseas phone markets are two completely different business models. At home, manufacturers need only "with innovation", which regulate the supply chain and make good use of Internet marketing, a great chance to make a leisurely and explosive. But in a foreign country, without patent support, manufacturers may even market is not open.

Lei had lamented "the patent is the mobile industry's rules of the game", millet wanted to master the rules of the game, giant assist alone is far from enough, only by strengthening core technology, create their own intellectual property advantage can really escort for growing Empire with millet.

抱上微软大腿，小米离星辰大海还有多远？ - 小米手机,专利 - IT资讯

“我们的征途是星辰大海”，这句话用在小米身上再合适不过了。

小米品牌自诞生以来，凭借互联网优势，短短几年内造就一个国内数一数二的手机品牌，此外还有众多生态链产品，不知不觉中，小米已经朝着生态帝国的方向发展。然而通往帝国的道路不可能一帆风顺，小米近几年也有了不少烦恼。

小米迎来多事之秋

首先是产品方面，整个2015年，小米多是靠低端红米系列来冲击销量，高端系列中小米4渐渐过时，小米5跳票，临时推出的小米Note没能在高端旗舰市场站稳脚跟，定位中端的小米4C也没能一炮打响。

在低端智能手机市场中，小米仍深陷价格战泥潭，被乐视、魅蓝等品牌的千元机产品重重包围，与此同时，小米产品在指纹识别、金属机身的设计元素上也落后竞品，性价比的仗越来越难打。

其次是销量方面，产品节奏上的脱节，导致小米2015年销量成绩并不理想。最初豪气万丈的1亿台销量目标后来缩水成保8000万冲1亿。后来据官方公布的数据，小米2015年手机销量突破7000万台。

还有海外市场方面，小米2014年进入印度市场时就和爱立信展开了一场专利诉讼，后来小米通过抱紧高通大腿的方式暂时躲过一劫。目前小米已经在港台地区、新加坡、马拉西亚、印尼等数十个国家和地区开售，却迟迟没有进入美国和欧洲市场，究其原因，专利的匮乏是主要原因之一。

当然，小米2015年的坎坷还与外部环境有一定关系，首先是中国智能手机市场开始饱和，甚至连自问世以来持续增长的iPhone都出现了销量下滑，为此，国产手机厂商纷纷开始布局出海计划。另外一点就是小米林斌曾经说的，外界对小米期望太高……

转眼到了2016年，小米的日子同样不好过，虽然姗姗来迟的小米5依旧受欢迎，但却仍然受制于性价比模式，在冲击高端失败后还留下了“黑科技”的谈资。新开辟的小米Max产品线虽然抓住了大屏用户的需求，但其并非一款主流产品。如果依旧在红米系列发力的话，小米今年恐怕仍难揭下性价比标签。与此同时，国内其他手机厂商开始在设计、工艺甚至微创新方面做出突破，高端旗舰特色鲜明，这也会给小米造成很大压力。

综上所述，小米如果想在短时间内改善现状，进一步扩大市场的话。尽快走出去无疑是刺激销量增长最有效的方案。

小米和各大专利巨头们

去年2月份，国家发改委对高通开出我国反垄断历史上最大一笔罚款，与此同时高通的专利授权和反授权方式也被取消，小米等于失去了来自高通的保护伞。去年年底，双方再度达成协议，高通允许小米开发、生产和销售3G(WCDMA和CDMA2000)和4G设备，包括三模(LTE-TDD、TD-SCDMA以及GSM)设备，小米向高通支付专利使用费，这将解决小米在海外市场遇到的一小部分问题，仅仅是一小部分。

除了和高通达成专利协议外，小米还选择在美国申请和购买专利，截至今年2月份，小米在美国获得了9件授权专利。另外，小米还采取了专利收购的方式，先后收购了博大唐电信2件专利、博通31件专利、英特尔332件专利，专利主要设计存储管理、控制逻辑、序列编码等，覆盖了通信、技术等领域。

今天，小米再次联合微软宣布，从2016年9月起，包括小米5、小米Max、小米4s、红米Note 3和红米3在内的小米安卓设备将预装微软Word、Excel、PowerPoint、Outlook和Skype应用在内的一系列应用。另外值得注意的就是，新的合作还涉及到了专利交叉许可及转让协议方面的内容。

微软手里有哪些专利呢？据2014年4月中国商务部文件显示，微软共拥有310项安卓专利，其中绝大部分是非标准必要专利。主要涵盖安卓操作系统各层级使用的技术专利；WiFi、3G/4G技术专利以及ex-FAT、RDP、EAS技术专利等。

依靠这些专利，微软虽不涉及安卓硬件市场，却每年能从安卓厂商手中收取数十亿美元的专利费，这些被宰的厂商包括三星、HTC、LG、富士康、华为、中兴等等。

因此，小米和微软此次达成专利交叉许可及转让协议，很有可能是为自己的星辰大海征途保驾护航。

巨头相助，小米的出海之路依然坎坷

说起来小米这几年通过购买专利、获取交叉专利授权等方式积累了不少海外专利，不过这些和华为、中兴等老牌厂商比还是有不少差距，更不用提国外的各大专利巨头。

另外，购买专利也并非长久之计，据悉小米从英特尔方面获取的三百余件专利，多是于2000年至2002年提交申请并授权的专利，如果这些为发明专利的话，保护期限为20年，也就是说，留给小米的时间并不多。

从目前的情况来看，国内手机市场和海外手机市场完全是两种不同的商业模式。在国内，厂商只需要“跟随创新”，调控好供应链，善用网络营销，就有很大几率制造出一款款爆品。然而在国外，没有专利的支撑，厂商可能连市场的大门都叩不开。

雷军曾经感叹“专利是整个手机行业的游戏规则”，小米若想掌握游戏规则，仅靠巨头协助还远远不够，只有加强核心技术研发，打造属于自己的知识产权优势，才能真正为成长为小米帝国保驾护航。