Motorola Phones Accused of Infringing on Microsoft’s Patents

Today, Microsoft and Motorola Mobility are in courts as Microsoft accuses Motorola of illegally using seven of its patents. The software giant is asking the international trade commission (ITC) to stop the importation of select Motorola phones. This case is very important, since it follows the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google, a move that was specifically thought to protect Android from such patent litigations that Google had complained about publicly before being rebuked (also publicly) by Microsoft.Obviously, both sides are confident of their own rights and say that they would defend their positions “vigorously”. Microsoft has already successfully won legal battles against HTC, which is currently paying royalties to Microsoft for their use of Android in HTC handsets. HTC also produces Windows Phone smartphones. In this instance, Microsoft says that Motorola’s email /calendar/contact synchronization (among other things) infringe on Microsoft patents.

At the moment, the following Motorola smartphones are targeted: Backflip , Charm , Cliq XT , Devour , Droid 2, Droid X. However, follow-up models work in a similar way and could be the target of new legal proceedings. This case may define the soundness of the Google-Motorola (aka Moogle) deal, which triggered a seemingly frivolous lawsuit from a Motorola shareholder.

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Breaking, Cellphones
Tags: Android, Legal, Microsoft, Motorola, motorola mobility, Smartphones