UPDATED 14:44 EDT / OCTOBER 01 2010

Microsoft Taking Motorola to Mobile Court: Patent Infringement on Android Phones

Microsoft has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Motorola, saying the manufacturer used 9 Microsoft patents in its Android-based smartphones. Microsoft’s released statement;

REDMOND, Wash. – Oct. 1, 2010 – Microsoft Corp. today filed a patent infringement action against Motorola, Inc. and issued the following statement from Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing:

“Microsoft filed an action today in the International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Motorola, Inc. for infringement of nine Microsoft patents by Motorola’s Android-based smartphones. The patents at issue relate to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola’s Android smartphone devices that are essential to the smartphone user experience, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.

We have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year in bringing innovative software products and services to market. Motorola needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its Android smartphones.”

This is the latest in a string of patent infringement lawsuits within the mobile industry, mimicking a lot of what took place with VoIP technology giants (and little guys) a few years back. For Microsoft, the lawsuit comes during a time when the company is preparing its own mobile device attack, as Windows Phone 7 is the company’s most anticipated release of the year.

Android, on the other hand, seems to be getting a lot of negative attention on behalf of Daddy Google. A lawsuit brought against the search engine giant comes from Oracle, citing Android’s improper use of Java, based on its recently acquired Sun Microsystems. And Apple’s not missing out on this patent poo-poo party. Its case against Nokia has gone international, taking stage in a British court for its next round.


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