Apple has been suing rival smartphone makers for some time. But I’m kind of surprised that Microsoft is getting into the game. On Friday, they filed an ITC complaint against Motorola accusing them of infringing on a number of Microsoft patents:
“Microsoft filed an action today in the International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Motorola, Inc. for infringement of nine Microsoft patents by Motorola’s Android-based smartphones. The patents at issue relate to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola’s Android smartphone devices that are essential to the smartphone user experience, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.
It’s interesting to me that Microsoft like Apple before it isn’t going after Google in this lawsuit seeing as Motorola uses the Google Android OS. I’m not sure what the deal is with that. But I suspect that one of two things will happen, either this will be fought out for years in court, or they’re going to come to some sort of arrangement very quickly.
Anybody care to take bets on which one happens?