It has only been about a week since Google announced they were buying Motorola, but that has not stopped the patent trolls. Microsoft and Motorola were in front of the International Trade Commission (ITC) yesterday because Microsoft has accused Motorola of infringing seven patents which relate to what Microsoft calls “essential to the smartphone user experience.” They include ways to synchronize e-mail, calendars, and contacts; schedule meetings; and notify applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.
Microsoft is asking the ITC to block imports of some outdated Motorola phones like the Droid 2, Droid X, Cliq XT, Devour, Backflip, and the Charm.
Motorola Mobility is “vigorously defending itself against Microsoft’s patent attack business strategy,” Jennifer Erickson, a Motorola Mobility spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. “We have also brought legal actions of our own in the U.S. and in Europe to address Microsoft’s large scale of infringement of Motorola Mobility’s patents.”
Administrative Law Judge Theodore Essex won’t release his findings until November 4th, and the investigation won’t be completed until March 5th. Nobody cares about those phones now, let alone next March. Either way, Motorola must fight this tooth and nail because any loss could set a precedent.
[via bloomberg]