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Microsoft-Motorola Patent Dispute Intensifies
The legal battle between Microsoft and Motorola has escalated as both parties have asserted new patents in their lawsuits against each other. The dispute now involves a total of 44 patents-in-suit, as Microsoft has asserted seven new patents and Motorola has added two new ones to its list.
The proceedings between the two industry heavyweights date back to October 2010, when Microsoft filed a suit alleging that Motorola’s Android smartphone infringed on Microsoft’s patents. Motorola, in turn, sued Microsoft in November over coding patents allegedly used in Xbox gaming consoles and Microsoft smartphones.
Microsoft’s new assertions include three patents related to browser navigation, as well as patents dealing with file system management for flash memory, a handheld computing device with an external notification system, user input data for touch screen computers, and a loading animation in smartphone browsers.
In turn, Motorola’s new claims involve patents related to biometric sensors, as well as an interactive wireless gaming system – an interesting assertion because Motorola does not produce a gaming console similar to Microsoft’s Xbox. According to Motorola, however, its Android-based products actively compete in the gaming market, where Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is also a player (as users can use the smartphone to buy games from Microsoft in its application marketplace and to connect to Xbox Live). Microsoft has countered this last claim by asserting, inter alia, that a consumer looking to purchase a phone would never buy an Xbox console instead.
For additional information, visit:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20 040620-75.html
http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/03/motorola-says-android-based-products.html