Microsoft is reportedly asking for as much as $15 for each Android — not Windows Phone 7 — device that Samsung sells.

Although Android is Google's mobile platform, Microsoft holds a number of patents that are used in Android. Microsoft already has patent agreements with other Android manufacturers such as HTC.

The fees Android handset manufacturers pay Microsoft for each device sold aren't public, but it's not that far-fetched to imagine that Android is a more lucrative business for Microsoft than its own mobile platform, Windows Phone 7.

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, which quotes unnamed industry officials, Microsoft wants one of the biggest Android handset manufacturers, Samsung, to pay $10 to $15 per device sold, depending on Samsung's willingness to extend partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Phone 7 front.

Samsung reportedly sold more than 10 million Galaxy S devices in the first seven months on the market and 3 million Galaxy S 2 devices in fewer than two months.

[via Reuters]