The International Trade Commission will investigate claims by Motorola that
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is infringing on several of its patents, Bloomberg reported Feb. 19.
Motorola filed a complaint Jan. 22 alleging that RIM "engaged in unfair
practices by the importation and sale of RIM products that infringe on five of
Motorola's patents," the company said in a statement at the time.
The patents, according to Motorola, relate to technologies in the areas of WiFi
access, application management, user interface and power management. Motorola
said these patents enable it to achieve lower product costs and provide a
better user experience.
"Through its early-stage development of the cellular industry and
billions of dollars spent on research and development, Motorola has created an
industry-leading intellectual property portfolio that is respected by the
entire telecommunications industry," Jonathan Meyer, senior vice president
of intellectual property law at Motorola, said in a statement.
"In light of RIM's continued unlicensed use of Motorola's patents, RIM's
use of delay tactics in our current patent litigation, and RIM's refusal to
design out Motorola's proprietary technology, Motorola had no choice but to
file a complaint with the ITC to halt RIM's continued infringement," Meyer
continued. "Motorola will continue to take all necessary steps to protect
its R&D and intellectual property, which are critical to the company's
business."
According to Bloomberg, RIM and Motorola had a license agreement from 2003 to
2007, but have been suing each other ever since. Additionally, earlier in
February a London judge ruled that
RIM didn't infringe a UK
patent of Motorola's.
Nokia and Apple have also traded legal documents of late, each accusing the
other of patent infringement. On Dec. 29, Nokia
filed a complaint with the ITC alleging that Apple's mobile phones,
computers and portable music players infringe on Nokia patents.
Motorola, in a move designed to help it become still more competitive in the
mobile handset market, announced on Feb. 12 that it will be splitting
into two companies, one focused on its Mobile Devices and Home business,
the other on its Enterprise Mobility Solutions and Networks businesses.
 |
Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
