Google and Tencent sign a patent sharing deal

Alphabet's Google has signed a patent licensing deal with China's Tencent Holdings as it looks to expand in China where the majority of its products are banned by the Chinese government. The details about the agreement were not disclosed.

The cross-licensing agreement will see Google and Tencent share patents with each other covering a range of products and technologies. Mike Lee, Google's Head of Patents, said, "We're pleased to enter into a patent cross-license with Tencent. By working together on agreements such as this, tech companies can focus on building better products and services for their users."

Google has signed similar agreements before with Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Cisco Systems, but the deal with Tencent is a first with any large Chinese tech firm.

The deal with Tencent covers a broad range of products and paves the way for collaboration on technology in the future. Over the past year, the search engine giant is looking to expand its foothold in the Chinese market with the launch of a local AI research center.