ZTE has joined the list of companies that have signed patent license agreements with Microsoft. Under the agreement, Microsoft grants ZTE a license to Microsoft?s worldwide patent portfolio for ZTE phones, tablets, computers and other devices running Android and Chrome OS. This follows last week's similar agreement with Foxconn?s parent company, Hon Hai.

"Licensing is an effective way to share technology and build on each other's work. In addition, much of the current litigation in the so called "smartphone patent wars" could be avoided if companies were willing to recognize the value of others' creations in a way that is fair," according to Microsoft.

Both Android and Chrome are Google-developed operating systems. But according to Microsoft, the two operating systems also use technologies patented by the company. Previously, Microsoft has filed lawsuits against Android device makers for patent infringement.