UPDATED 07:20 EST / OCTOBER 25 2010

Apple Joins Google’s Front Against Microsoft co-Founder’s Patent Lawsuit

Microsoft co-Founder Paul Allen filed a lawsuit against 11 companies, including several tech giants like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, AOL and Apple for 4 different patent infringements. Among these 11 companies, 4 of them are charged of violating all 4 patents. Apple is the latest to join in the combined effort to battle the lawsuits.

According to ComputerWorld, Google filed a motion on Oct. 18 to counter Allen, claiming that Allen is not specific of the technologies or services that Google offers to support the litigation.

“Interval is not entitled to waste Court and party resources with a scattershot Complaint against multiple Defendants did not state as to which products or services Interval contends are infringing and the factual basis for such a claim,” said Google.

There was a follow-up Google submitted the following day to Judge Marsha Pechman of the US District court.

Apple also filed a motion to counter Microsoft on Oct 21.

“Interval has sued eleven major corporations and made the same bald assertions that each defendant infringes 197 claims in four patents,” Apple stated. “As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in Twombly, it is in this type of situation in which courts should use their ‘power to insist upon some specificity in pleading before allowing a potentially massive factual controversy to proceed.'”

Other defendants’ motion have similar declaration of Allen failing to site specific damages.  But the inclusion of Apple is this major case brings a united front against Allen.  In the days where patent infringement is just part of the game, two companies that are normally at each other’s throats can come together against another competitor.


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