On 22 August, NeoMedia, the leader in creating QR barcodes, announced a worldwide partnership with Microsoft that will allow the software company to license NeoMedia’s large patent portfolio.

NeoMedia produces the NeoReader, the app that allows 20 million devices to scan the now omnipresent QR barcodes that have cropped up around the UK.

The barcodes, used for advertising and branding purposes dot the consumer landscape in Britain. Just two weeks ago, Tesco debuted a QR-based virtual grocery store in London’s Gatwick Airport. Last week, East Yorkshire Motor Services announced a bus advertising campaign featuring QR codes designed to appeal to the student demographic in Hull.

The Olympics also featured a spike in the UK’s use of QR codes. LOCOG recorded 95,000 scans during the Games, chiefly from the spectator guides that were distributed to ticketholders. iPhones made up 62 per cent of total usage.

The Microsoft deal comes just weeks after the redevelopment of the Windows Phone Marketplace. The rebranding of the Marketplace feature was undertaken to help propel a surge in sales of the new Windows Phone 7. In partnering with NeoMedia in the QR market, Windows may be attempting to close in on its Android and iPhone competition.

CEO of NeoMedia, Laura Marriott, said the deal with Microsoft speaks to a need for the protection of intellectual property in an increasingly connected world.

“As mobile barcodes become a key fixture in the mobile marketing mix, it is important for stakeholders across the industry to ensure the solutions they employ leverage the relevant intellectual property in a responsible manner,” Marriott said.