Microsoft Wins Patent Infringement Suit Vs Motorola

Patent infringement lawsuits are flying all over the place. Aside from Samsung and Apple, who are locked in a constant legal entanglement regarding patent infringement, Microsoft and Motorola are also involved in such a lawsuit.

Just recently, Microsoft won in a patent infringement lawsuit against Motorola. An administrative law judge for the US International Trade Commission made a decision that Motorola’s Motorola Android phones infringed on one of Microsoft’s seven patents. The particular patent being contested involves the synchronizing calendars and the way events are scheduled in mobile devices. These features are part of Microsoft’s ActiveSync technology. The judge did not rule favorably on the six other patent claims of Microsoft, so this legal win may be a victory for Microsoft but not as significant if it had gotten more favorable decisions on the other patent claims.

Microsoft’s decision to file a lawsuit against Motorola was caused by the latter’s refusal to pay Microsoft licensing fees for Android devices. Microsoft has been enforcing an Android licensing program that has more than half of manufacturers of Android devices paying the software giant royalties.

Microsoft was upbeat about the win, claiming that the ruling validates its claims that many features in Android devices are indeed part of Microsoft’s patent ownerships.

Surprisingly, Motorola was also happy with the decision. The company said that the ruling only favored one of Microsoft’s claims and not the six other claims it has filed. The company said that the ruling will “provide clarity on the definition of the Microsoft 566 patent.”

Originally posted on December 22, 2011 @ 6:15 pm