Motorola lands 16-patent countersuit on Microsoft

Motorola has countersued Microsoft, alleging infringement of sixteen patents by Microsoft's PC and server software, Windows mobile software, and Xbox products. On Wednesday, with a press release, Motorola said that its subsidiary, Motorola Mobility, filed suit against Microsoft in the US District Courts for the Southern …

[Anonymous Coward]

there are enough software patent lawsuits...

... to warrant a revisit to the software patent system.

how do we go about asking the government to revisit the _software_ patent system? or better yet, ask then to drop this anti-competitive patent system?

[RJ]

God, it is like infants...

...getting into a temper tantrum fight then running to teacher to tell on each other...

If I were a judge I would seriously be getting pissed off at the burden the legal system is put under to sort out these cases.

Actually come to think of it, I am paying judges good money to preside over these colossal wastes of time and effort.

[Big_Ted]

what goes here ?

Quote.........

Microsoft infringes with its Windows operating system; digital video coding technology; email technology, including Exchange, Messenger, and Outlook; Windows Live instant messaging tools; and object oriented software architecture...................

Motorola Mobility asks that Microsoft stop using Motorola's patented technology and provide compensation for past infringement

Does that leave any part of windows that Microsoft will be able to continue to use ?

But you have to say they are hardly a "FRAND" to Motorola by taking them to court for asking what they feel is too much "after" already sueing them for patents......

[Geoff Campbell]

I'm confused.

Can someone draw up a map of who is suing whom? I bet the various interconnecting lines will make a really pretty pattern, or perhaps spell out a really rude word, one of the two.

GJC

[TeeCee]

Re: I'm confused.

Good idea.

You rent the 40' billboard and I'll bring some pencils and a rubber.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not an entirely up-to-date graphic...

http://news.designlanguage.com/post/1473307539 has an excellent graphic illustrating this. The biggest 'patent troll'? Nokia.

[Anonymous Coward]

BWAAHAAA

EVERYBODY SUE APPLE !!!

Oh how i lol'ed !!!

[The Fuzzy Wotnot]

Oh for the love of...

"Sir, Gates keeps taking my stuff and won't give it back!"

Take it to the headmasters office, both of you. You want to behave like children, let the headmaster deal with you!

[Fogcat]

a month out of date

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/whos-suing-whom-in-the-telecoms-trade/

[matt 83]

long live

patent Armageddon

[Giles Jones]

I blame...

Nokia. They seemed to start all this nonsense by suing Apple.

Honestly, children. The ideas you think you have patents to are generally pretty dull. You haven't invented anything life changing. It's just stuff for telephones and touch screens.

[Rogerborg]

And lo, there was much rejoicing - among the lawyers

Retail prices should be broken down to show how much of our money goes to sales tax, green tax, and lawyer tax.

[Graham Bartlett]

@RJ

The "burden" falls on the companies using it, though, and that's the problem. If it fell directly on the taxpayer then the gov would be able (at least in theory) to look for value for money and knock heads together. But bcos it comes from private companies, those companies can basically do what they want if they think it's a good way of spending money, and there's no incentive for the gov to do anything about it. In fact quite the opposite - the large entrenched companies are fairly happy with the situation, and they're the campaign contributors, plus the gov is overwhelmingly run by lawyers and they're doing rather nicely out of it. Of course the problem is that (a) it pushes up the price of products, and (b) it blocks new companies (which haven't got deep pockets, or patents of their own for a counter-suit) from the marketplace. But consumers have no way of doing a damn thing about this.

[RJ]

Yea but...

Their cases take place in courts that could be used to sort out proper criminal cases.

The Judges are not paid for by the suing companies right? They are paid from our taxes to preside over these cases arent they.

It adds to the backlog of legal work that the courts have to deal with.

Please correct me if I am wrong on any of the above; I try not to get too into legal administration.

[Cameron Colley]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The rest of the world should start seriously considering dropping out of the US and the US technology markets until they sort out their pathetic excuse for a patent system.

Without the burden of the US patent system companies like TomTom and Nokia and countless Asian companies could be providing the rest of the world with competitively priced and innovative technology.

I think the rest of the world should boycott the US until they decide to stop this nonsense.

[IPatentedItSoIOwnIt]

And there is the rub...

The patent system although getting out of hand with everyone suing everyone else it does allow American companies with a long patent history, the likes of Microsoft, Apple ect., to restrict or to licence (read 'Tax') any new comers to the market. So your TomTom and Asian companies can't come in and undercut everyone, because the price to license the patented tech in the US brings their prices up to the same level as those already established in the market.

The patent system is what it is. But big businesses need it because it would cost them far more not to have it.

I just sit here in the UK thankful we have a free market, at least until we try to sell our product in the States.

[JaitcH]

What the US needs is a dedicated Patents Court with judges ...

qualified in the engineering professions.

They could determine the merits of the claim and then hand the natter over to a law judge for the penalty awards.

Good to see Motorola, the U.S. radio industry pioneer, standing up against all the Johnny Come Lately's who think they invented the wheel and the flame.

[MinionZero]

This shows how the patent system isn't really working as intended.

This news shows patents these days are increasingly being used like weapons of mass distraction, to offset challenges from competitors. Company A launches a series of patent legal challenges against company B, then company B hits back with its own set of patent legal challenges. Its like a form of legal Mutual Assured Destruction, if they go to court, so the patents end up as just negotiating chips on a table, to allow them to come to some negotiated compromise.

The little guy who invents something and then gets one patent, doesn't have a hope in hell in this kind of battle of multi-billion dollar giant corporations with their own army of high paid lawyers and massive arsenals of thousands of patents to use as weapons against competitors. :(

It shows the patent system is utterly broken. Patents have morphed into a legal battle field weapon for corporate negotiating. :(

[Mark C Casey]

RE: I'm confused.

http://mobilesyrup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/whosuingwho.jpg

I think it's a bit out of date, but it gives a good idea of the patent balls up the US patent system is in right now.

[Tempest]

Software patents should run for 5 years only

This will stop a lot of American stupidity.

Like Jobs' claiming he invented gestures - original patents filed 25 years ago!

[zooooooom]

I've

patented comment threads on news articles.

NOW GIVE ME ALL YOUR STUFFS

[Shades]

Thank you Cade, thank you!

For using "Vice President" rather than the infuriating non-word that is "Veep" that some people round these parts are of fond of using. Anyhoo...

I wonder if it is possible to make a complete mockery of the US patent system by "designing" a (secretly vapourware) product that infringes as many patents as possible and wait for the glorified ambulance chasers to hopefully waste much time and money to A) Pursue something that doesn't really exist and B) realise that they have wasted much time and money? Actually, scratch that, the US patent system is making a mockery of itself enough as it is!

[Neoc]

Microsoft and Motorola...

...wIth FRANDs like these, who needs enemies?

(I can't believe nobody made the joke yet)