Surprisingly, at least one Microsoft executive thinks Apple’s patent lawsuit against HTC might help sort out some intellectual property ownership issues -- despite the fact that the suit also names Windows Mobile devices.

That’s what Microsoft general counsel and senior vice president Brad Smith said in a speech on intellectual property and copyright laws at the Washington State Convention Center, according to AppleInsider. However, Seattle Times columnist Brier Dudley notes that “Microsoft is not ready to formally take a side” on the issue, although the lawsuit could help sort out some issues of patent ownership.

"The fact that there's litigation in this area is not necessarily a bad thing," Smith reportedly said during his speech.

The issue of royalties for the radio technology used in cell phones has already been sorted out, Smith notes, with 5.5 percent of a phone’s cost going to licensing fees mostly owned by Qualcomm. However, since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, there are other facets of modern smartphones that have become increasingly common.

"Smith welcomed Apple's lawsuit as the opening salvo in a bigger effort to sort out who owns the technology used in smartphones and start collecting a standard set of royalties," writes Dudley. "License holders have been talking about this behind the scenes for some time, and Apple brought it out in the open."

As most people know, Apple filed suit against HTC earlier this month, alleging infringement of 20 iPhone-related patents. While mostly aimed at devices running Google’s Android operating system, the suit also specifically names a few running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile as well.

While Google was quick to publicly come to HTC’s defense, Microsoft has yet to comment, other than what Smith said in his speech. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer also noted recently during a speech at the University of Washington, "Apple's done a very nice job that allows people to monetize and commercialize their intellectual property,” although he was referencing the App Store and not the iPhone in particular.