A growing list of mobile device manufacturers are now handing Microsoft sweet, sweet cash every time they sell a smartphone or tablet running Google's Android or Chrome operating systems. Compal is the latest in a long list to pay Microsoft royalties, the Taiwanese-based company signed a patent licensing agreement with Microsoft that will see them paying an undisclosed amount of money to Microsoft to avoid being sued for allegedly infringing on its patents.

This is the 10th Android-related licensing agreement Microsoft has signed in the past 18 months. It has now evolved into its own beast and is becoming a serious revenue stream for the company. According to some estimates, Microsoft will collect roughly $444 million in fiscal 2012 from Android device makers compensating it for use of its patent portfolio.

Microsoft stated today that it now has patent license agreements with companies accounting for more than half of all Android devices.

Wow. Well, at least they're not just suing other companies because they're strong competition, huh?