Microsoft is once again filing suit against Google’s Android mobile operating system, this time through Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has filed suit against Google through proxy; Motorola also suffered through a Microsoft lawsuit over their smartphone lineup. The allegations remain basically the same. In an official statement, Microsoft acknowledges that there has been a filing of legal action in the International Trade Commission and the US District Court of Washington against B&N and its primary manufacturers, Foxconn and Inventec.
The patents under scrutiny include "innovations that cover a range of functionality embodied in Android devices that are essential to the user experience, including: natural ways of interacting with devices by tabbing through various screens to find the information they need; surfing the Web more quickly, and interacting with documents and e-books."
Microsoft claims that it has tried to establish a working agreement with manufacturers of Android devices to help align companies with the patent licensure that Microsoft expects of them. HTC has already signed such a contract, and the refusal of Foxconn, Inventec, and Barnes & Noble to sign agreements is spurring the legal action.
According to Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property & Licensing,
Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year to bring great software products and services to market.
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