You can ship a phone running AOSP without any further agreement with Google.
You cannot ship an "Android" phone. "Android" is a trademark of Google and you can only use it with permission. Moreover, you cannot ship a phone that includes the Play Store or Google apps, nor one compatible with the increasing array of apps that require Play Services, unless you make an agreement with Google.
If you take away the name and ecosystem, you've lost the vast majority of the value of Android. Users will see your phone as if it is running its own, incompatible operating system. Why would they buy this? Why not buy a Windows phone instead?
Case in point: Amazon tried making a phone based on AOSP -- the Fire phone. They made their own apps, their own app store, etc. It was a flop. They gave up. If Amazon can't make it work, why would anyone else expect they can?
So, to realistically sell an Android phone, you have to make an agreement with Google. And that's how they keep control.
You can ship a phone running AOSP without any further agreement with Google.
You cannot ship an "Android" phone. "Android" is a trademark of Google and you can only use it with permission. Moreover, you cannot ship a phone that includes the Play Store or Google apps, nor one compatible with the increasing array of apps that require Play Services, unless you make an agreement with Google.
If you take away the name and ecosystem, you've lost the vast majority of the value of Android. Users will see your phone as if it is running its own, incompatible operating system. Why would they buy this? Why not buy a Windows phone instead?
Case in point: Amazon tried making a phone based on AOSP -- the Fire phone. They made their own apps, their own app store, etc. It was a flop. They gave up. If Amazon can't make it work, why would anyone else expect they can?
So, to realistically sell an Android phone, you have to make an agreement with Google. And that's how they keep control.