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Microsoft, Motorola Add 9 Patents To Ongoing Court Battle

Posted by timothy on from the who-blinks-first dept.

FlorianMueller writes "Patent suits are the IT industry's new Christmas cards: Microsoft and Motorola just added new accusations to their row. Motorola filed another suit in the Western District of Wisconsin, for the first time also attacking the Kinect. Microsoft threw in seven patents in Southern Florida. Two of them cover touchscreen technologies and two allegedly read on Motorola's DVRs. At this stage of the game, 35 patents are in suit between the companies. Afraid to lose track of so much peace and harmony? There's a visualization available (detailed reference material included)."

7 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. All this because of Android? by goruka · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's hard to believe how this insane patent war between the top technology companies was simply created by Google by releasing Android. It's like seeing two completely different business models and corporate visions clash against each other, like international politics did in the cold war era. Alternatively, we could go back even further and call it "Google Allies vs the Axis of Evil".

    1. Re:All this because of Android? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, because GOOG has no patents.

      What does Google's stock name have to do with patents? Are you really too lazy to spare the two extra keystrokes to produce "Google"? Or maybe you're just one of those people who insisted on calling SCO "SCOX" in non-market contexts (even though the stock name is longer by one letter), as if to make their opinion sound more professional.

  2. Microsoft wants Android DEAD, and so does Apple by blind+biker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In this battle, MS and Apple are ad-hoc allies. Definitely a clash of Titans, but currently, the bigger warchest is stacked against Android. Don't forget Oracle's salvo against Java in Android.

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    1. Re:Microsoft wants Android DEAD, and so does Apple by RazorSharp · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I don't see what made you jump to this conclusion. Apple has never shown any evidence of seeking the top market-share position. If they did they would probably have more than one model of their phone or maybe sell iOS to hardware manufacturers. Hell, you can still only buy iPhones on one carrier! Apple seems to be doing what Apple has always done. Sell high-end/high-margin and make more money than higher volume, low-margin competitors.

      Given Apple's history between Google and Microsoft, and Google and Microsoft's history with other tech companies, I would assume the opposite. That Apple would love to see Google swipe the rug from underneath Microsoft because Google can play nice with others. Right now Apple's like European monarchs during the American Civil War: they're content to watch the north and south battle one another, they'd prefer the south to win b/c that would mean greater fragmentation and less tariffs, but they're not going to interfere because the war benefits them more than a victor on either side would.

      --
      "From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
  3. Re:2010. The beginning of the Great Patent Wars. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    BIG companies can't sue one another because they have "dirt" on eachother.
    For the rest of us it is just another barrier to enter the market.

  4. Re:2010. The beginning of the Great Patent Wars. by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I really do hope that the public wakes up to what is going on with patents and so-called "intellectual property" in general and the fact that it has degraded to the point that they are simply legal clubs to hit others over the head, but we are in such a state in this country. We've got a totally un-intellectual, shallow thinking populace in the U.S. that I doubt there is any way you can get the public to speak out about it.

  5. Re:2010. The beginning of the Great Patent Wars. by jhoegl · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Agreed, talk about stifling creativity and inventions.
    Remember that snap-on case? Where the guy that developed the snap-on system did so at home, but because he worked salary at the company the company owned his idea?
    Yeah... why should I invent anything unless I am hourly?

    Now you got bozos in Congress that think that a flowchart should be patented, or just a method of doing something should be patented.
    Holy shit, I should patent sitting down, Id be rich!