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Is Microsoft ticked at Motorola for Windows Phone 7? Now suing them for their Android work

Today we hear of yet another lawsuit in the smartphone world with Microsoft filing an action against Motorola for infringement on nine patents in their Android-based smartphones.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer

Lawsuits between the different players in the smartphone market are nothing new and today we hear that Microsoft is suing Motorola for patent infringement in their Android smartphones. Patent lawsuits for infringing upon technologies developed by companies are quite the trend in today's smartphone world with Apple, Nokia, HTC, Google, Motorola, and others in active cases.

As stated in the full press release:

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.

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. Motorola needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its Android smartphones.

I am not a lawyer and won't even begin to try to argue who is right here, but I doubt Microsoft will sue HTC or Samsung for issues related to Android since both of these companies are going to make Windows Phone 7 devices.

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