Microsoft filed suit against Motorola on Friday, accusing the US handset maker of violating its patents in mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system. Microsoft deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez said in a statement that Motorola's Android-based smartphones infringed nine Microsoft patents.
Gutierrez said the patents in question relate to synchronising email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power. The complaint was filed with the International Trade Commission and the US District Court for the Western District of Washington state.
"We have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year in bringing innovative software products and services to market," Gutierrez said. "Motorola needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its Android smartphones," he said.
Microsoft supplies its own mobile operating system to handset makers and is reportedly planning to unveil three Windows Phone 7 smartphones next month made by South Korea's Samsung and LG Electronics and Taiwan's HTC. Patent lawsuits are a regular occurrence among technology giants.
Apple is currently being sued by Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia for patent infringement and has fired back with a countersuit against Nokia. HTC, a major handset maker from Taiwan, and Apple are also currently suing each other over patent claims involving Android-powered phones. In June, Canada's Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry, and Motorola reached a settlement to their long-running patent disputes.
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