Xiaomi has sealed a deal to buy some 1,500 patents from Microsoft, a move that will help the Chinese smartphone maker expand exports and earn the US technology giant some badly needed goodwill in Beijing.小米(Xiaomi)与微软公司(Microsoft)达成协议一项协议，将向微软公司出售大约1500项专利，此举将协助这家中国智能手机制造商扩大出口，并为这家美国科技巨头在中国取得一些急需的商誉。The transaction addresses a key weakness facing Xiaomi, which is seeking to sell its devices in countries outside its home market but has been hindered by its relative lack of intellectual property to fend off lawsuits.这笔交易消弭了小米面对的一项主要弱势，该公司期望在本土市场以外的国家销售其产品，但由于比较缺少知识产权来抵挡诉讼，这方面的希望阻碍。“In terms of patents we are a young company,” Xiaomi said yesterday, adding that the Microsoft deal was “a big milestone for us. It will help us with operations in new markets.”“从专利的角度来看，我们是一家年长公司，”小米昨日回应，该公司补足称之为，与微软公司的协议“是我们的一项最重要里程碑。

它将不利于我们在新的市场的业务。”The agreement comes on the eve of a visit to Beijing by Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella. The US company is still the subject of an antitrust investigation in China over the bundling of software, and its offices were raided by Chinese authorities in July 2014.该协议是在微软公司首席执行官萨蒂亚纳德拉(Satya Nadella)访美前夕签定的。

微软公司仍因软件绑问题在中国面对反垄断调查，2014年7月，中国当局曾突击搜查该公司公使办事处。The patents deal includes Xiaomi installing Microsoft’s Office and Skype software on its phones. Financial terms were not made public.这项专利协议还包括小米将在其手机上安装微软公司的Office和Skype软件。交易金额没公开发表。Xiang Wang, senior vice-president, said Xiaomi was “excited” to be working with Microsoft and the deal demonstrated the Chinese company was “looking to build sustainable, long-term partnerships with global technology leaders”.小米高级副总裁王翔回应，小米对于与微软公司合作深感“兴奋”，该协议证明，小米“期望与全球科技领军企业创建可持续的长年合作”。

Other US tech groups facing setbacks in China have looked to do deals with local champions, partly as a way to win favour with Beijing. Last month Apple invested $1bn in Didi Chuxing, China’s version of Uber, which some analysts said they believed was at least partly motivated by government relations.其他在中国挫败的美国科技集团也已谋求与中国冠军企业经商，在一定程度上是为了夺得中国政府的注目。上月，苹果(Apple)向中国版优步(Uber)滴滴上下班(Didi Chuxing)投资10亿美元，一些分析人士回应，他们指出，此举最少在一定程度上受到政府关系的抗拒。

Xiaomi said it had applied for 5,700 patents over the past two years but declined to give any detail on the number it has been awarded and where. The deal was a drop in the bucket for Microsoft, with its 60,000 patents.小米回应，过去两年该公司已申请人5700项专利，但拒绝接受透漏有关取得批准后的专利数量以及在何处获批的详尽数据。对于享有6万项专利的微软公司而言，该协议只是较小的一部分。A lean patent portfolio has hindered Xiaomi’s efforts to ramp up exports. In the smartphone industry, patent litigation is a serious challenge and access to a large number of patents allows companies to reduce their vulnerability to lawsuits by cross-licensing and trading patents.专利人组脆弱目前为止妨碍着小米扩大出口的希望。在智能手机领域，专利诉讼是一项不利挑战，取得大量专利将让公司通过交叉许可和专利交易增加诉讼带给的影响。

In India, its largest prospective foreign market, Xiaomi last year faced a patent lawsuit in a Delhi High Court by Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson.在印度，瑞典电信设备制造商爱立信(Ericsson)去年在德里高院(Delhi High Court)控告小米专利侵权行为。印度是小米最不具潜力的海外市场。The case continues, though Xiaomi won a reprieve in a subsequent ruling barring it only from importing and selling phones containing components linked to the Ericsson dispute.该案仍在审理中，尽管小米在随后的判决中夺得扭转局势空间，仅有被禁令进口和销售所含与爱立信纠纷涉及的部件的手机。

Xiaomi currently exports to seven countries outside of China and Hong Kong, including Malaysia, India and Brazil.除了中国内地和香港以外，小米目前还向7个国家销售产品，还包括马来西亚、印度和巴西。Expanding exports is part of a strategy to bolster sales, which are sagging in China. Xiaomi was the best-selling smartphone brand in China in 2014 and part of 2015 but has been eclipsed by Shenzhen-based rival Huawei.扩大出口是提高销售的战略的一部分，如今小米在中国销售不振。在2014年全年和2015年部分时期，小米曾是中国最畅销的智能手机品牌，但现在已被总部坐落于深圳的竞争对手华为(Huawei)打破。Xiaomi sold more than 70m phones in 2015, up from 61m the year before but missing both its original target of 100m and a revised goal of 80m.小米在2015年销售了逾7000万部手机，多达了2014年的6100万部，但没构建最初制订的销售1亿部（后来调整为8000万部）的目标。

Microsoft itself has had little success in trying to crack the global smartphone market. It acquired Nokia’s hardware business in 2013 for $7.2bn but the deal has been disastrous. Microsoft said last month it would take an additional $950m writedown, having already written down $7.6bn from its mobile phone operations and laid off 7,800 staff.微软公司自己在进占全球智能手机市场方面乏善可陈。它在2013年耗资72亿美元并购了诺基亚(Nokia)的硬件业务，但该交易是灾难性的。微软公司上月回应，将再度减记9.5亿美元，它之前早已对其手机业务减记了76亿美元，并裁掉了7800名员工。

Bryan Ma at IT consultancy IDC in Singapore said of the deal: “It’s a win-win, with one side building up its patent collection and the other building up its ecosystem. But this deal alone won’t change either of their fortunes overnight.”新加坡IT咨询公司IDC的马伯远(Bryan Ma)谈及该交易时回应：“这是一笔双赢交易，让一方累积专利数量，另一方打造出其生态系统。但单凭该协议会在一夜之间转变它们的命运。

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