Friday, October 1, 2010

Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Patents

Redmond-based Microsoft said Friday afternoon that it has filed a patent infringement suite against Motorola. According to the firm, in a statement from Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing, the firm is suing Motorola over what it says is infringement of nine patents owned by Microsoft. Microsoft said the patents were violated in Motorola's Android-based smartphones, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power. Those features are widespread in Android phones, and it is unclear if Microsoft is opening up another front in its war against Google. Google is not named in the new lawsuit. Microsoft reached an agreement in April with HTC over mobile phone features running on Google Android, where HTC would license its patents and pay the firm royalties.