Microsoft Wins Ruling in Case Over Motorola Android Phones
By Susan Decker
Bloomberg
Microsoft Corp. won a ruling that Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.’s Android phones violate one of its smartphone patents, while failing to convince a judge that six others are being infringed as well.
Motorola Mobility, which is being acquired by Google Inc., violated a patent for generating meeting requests and group scheduling, U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Theodore Essex said in a notice today. The finding is the second in two days from the ITC that has determined that some features of phones running Google’s Android operating system are using licensed technology without permission.
The ruling falls short of the broader claims originally sought by Microsoft, which has said its inventions are being widely used in Android phones. Motorola Mobility General Counsel Scott Offer said the majority of the ruling is favorable to the handset maker and may provide clarity on what Microsoft owns to avoid potential infringement.
December 20, 2011
Business