Google, Honeywell resolve patent dispute over Nest thermostats

Google and Honeywell have signed a patent cross-license agreement that resolves a long-standing patent dispute over thermostats made by Nest Labs, the home automation startup the Internet giant acquired. The proceedings in the case have been pending in court for about four years, awaiting the results of a reexamination of the patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to court records. The companies said Thursday they believe that the patent accord “promotes product innovation and consumer choice in the market for smart home products.” The financial and other details of the deal b

was twice that as of June 2015.

Why this matters: Apple has a long history of offering student (and teacher) discounts, of which this offer may be just the latest example. It is also a smart way to try and gain more subscribers and overtake Spotify as the leading subscription music streaming service. At $5 per month, Apple Music will challenge Spotify's similar student offer available in the United States. In January, Apple Music was believed to have more than 10 million paying (not including free trial) customers. Spotify’s paying subscriber count was twice that as of June 2015. Update: This article was updated at 7:41 AM Pacific time on May 6, 2016 to clarify the status of Spotify's student discount.