Microsoft Sues US Customs For Allowing Imports of Banned Motorola Phones

SmartAboutThings writes "Microsoft filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing the United States Customs of secretly meeting with Google representatives to allow imports of Motorola devices that are infringing on Microsoft's ActiveSync technology and therefore should be banned." The article lists 18 (older) Android devices that are named in the complaint; Xoom owners just got some street cred.

Comments

NSA tipped them off?

[Anonymous Coward]

how did they find out?

Rogue Fed Departments?

[Freshly Exhumed]

From a Bloomberg article: 'U.S. Customs and Border Protection, after having secret meetings with Google, continued to let the Motorola Mobility mobile phones enter the country even though Google has done nothing to remove the feature at the heart of the ITC case, Microsoft said in the complaint. The case illustrates what Lexmark International Inc. (LXK) and Lutron Electronics Co. in May called an “increasingly ineffective and unpredictable enforcement” of import bans imposed by the trade agency.'

Employing bureaucratic shortcuts is apparently alive and well. Does this point to corruption, or is it simply a matter of poor information flow?

Re:Rogue Fed Departments?

[Rockoon]

Does this point to corruption, or is it simply a matter of poor information flow?

Yes.

Re:Rogue Fed Departments?

[geoskd]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

In this case, I'm pretty sure they do...

Re:Rogue Fed Departments?

[Zemran]

If the phone is bought legally in another country, what right have customs got to stop someone bringing a legal product (legal where it was bought) into the country. Next think you know they will try to impose US laws in other countries... oh yeah, sorry, they are already doing that.

Imhofe

[ISoldat53]

I guess Google's backing of James Imhofe paid off. And who is Microsoft to complain about secret meetings with government officials?

We've been cutting funding for this stuff...

[rsilvergun]

since the 80s. It always amazes me when people are surprised that laws aren't enforced when we've been slashing the budgets of these 'evil bureaucratic' for 30 years. Funny how the bureaucratic ain't evil when he's doing something you want done, ain't it? Buddy of mine is getting screwed over in the only job he could find. Starts life as an ardent anti-bureaucratic guy until he goes looking for the labor board to seek redress and finds out there isn't one.

Sure kids. Have all the laws protecting you're rights you want. We control the purse strings, so we just won't fund enforcement.

If you're not invited, it's secret?

[Overzeetop]

Just because someone doesn't voluntarily invite you to a meeting does not mean that it's secret.

I think, "United States Customs has met with Google representatives to allow imports of Motorola devices" is more accurate.

Incomplete information

[Anonymous Psychopath]

TFA fails to mention that the ITC ruling provides a 60-day review period, during which Moto posts a bond of $0.33 per device imported. That period expires Monday. So far they've not done anything wrong. They could simply stop importing those models prior to Monday, surrender the bond, and be in full compliance with the ITC order.