Microsoft Tries to Short-Circuit Android With Motorola Suit
An interesting preface to the October launch of Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 operating system and the trio of devices that will run it. The company today filed suit against Motorola, alleging several of its Android smartphones infringe on its IP.
In dueling complaints against Motorola with the International Trade Commission and federal court in Seattle, Microsoft claims Motorola’s Android phones violate nine patents relating to synchronizing e-mail, 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,” Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft’s corporate VP and deputy general counsel of intellectual property and licensing said in a statement. “Motorola needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its Android smartphones.”
What does Motorola have to say about that? Not much. The company says it hasn’t yet received a copy of the complaint, but when it does, watch out. “Motorola has a leading intellectual property portfolio, one of the strongest in the industry,” it said. “The company will vigorously defend itself in this matter.”
Here’s a copy of the ITC complaint: