Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Google Files Patent-Infringement Lawsuit vs. British Telecom: Report

    Written by

    Todd R. Weiss
    Published February 14, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Google is suing BT, a British telecommunications company, alleging that BT illegally violated four of its patents, including for technologies such as networking and Web-enabled phone calls.

      The lawsuit was filed Feb. 13 in a California federal court by Google and its Motorola Mobility unit against BT Group Plc, according to an article by Reuters.

      Google also filed a similar lawsuit against BT in a British court, Reuters reported.

      “We have always seen litigation as a last resort, and we work hard to avoid lawsuits,” a Google spokesperson told eWEEK in an email. “But BT has brought several meritless patent claims against Google and our customers—and they’ve also been arming patent trolls. When faced with these kinds of actions, we will defend ourselves.”

      One such related case apparently involves Suffolk Technologies, which earlier sued Google in federal court in Virginia over a patent that was previously held by BT, according to the Reuters article.

      The latest round of court battles is not the first patent-infringement fight between the two companies.

      The Google suit comes 14 months after BT filed its lawsuit against Google in December 2011. In that lawsuit, BT alleged that Google infringed on six of its patents in products such as Google Maps, Google Music, Google’s location-based advertising and some of Google’s Android mobile operating system products.

      Like many other technology companies, Google has been involved in many patent cases in the last few years as the tech firms have battled in the courts over their innovations, intellectual property and marketing strategies.

      In October 2012, Google’s Motorola unit dropped a mobile patent-infringement lawsuit that it had filed against Apple before the U.S. International Trade Commission, but said it might refile the claims at a later date. Those claims involved seven patents held by Motorola that the company alleged Apple infringed on in products such as the iPad, the iPhone and various Mac computers, including the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

      One of the patents describes technology “that allows an audible user input to be converted into a text string,” which would appear to describe Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant feature introduced with the Apple iPhone 4S.

      Besides Siri, the other Motorola patents that were in the case involved features such as location reminders, phone and video player functions and email notifications. Motorola had said that it filed the complaint because Apple has been uncooperative in negotiations aimed at licensing Motorola’s patents to Apple to settle the matter.

      Google bought the Motorola Mobility unit in May 2012 for $12.5 billion as it continues to build up its power and holdings in the battle for a bigger chunk of the mobile marketplace, which continues to grow annually.

      Patent licensing has also brought Google into court in the recent past.

      In a patent-licensing case involving Apple in November 2012, a federal judge in Wisconsin sided with Google and threw out an Apple lawsuit involving royalty fees Apple was to pay Google to license some of Motorola’s mobile phone patents. The court was scheduled to set a rate for Apple to pay for the licensing fee. That plan went up in flames and the judge threw the lawsuit out after Apple revealed that it would not consider itself bound by a court-set rate if it exceeded $1 per Apple phone.

      Apple and Google have been battling in several courts around the world since last year. The battles have intensified as Google’s Android operating system has become much more popular in the global marketplace, putting it in more direct competition with Apple’s iOS.

      Todd R. Weiss
      Todd R. Weiss
      Todd R. Weiss is a seasoned technology journalist with over 15 years of experience covering enterprise IT. Since 2014, he has been a senior writer at eWEEK.com, specializing in mobile technology, smartphones, tablets, laptops, cloud computing, and enterprise software. Previously, he was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008, reporting on a wide range of IT topics. Throughout his career, Weiss has written extensively about innovations in mobile tech, cloud platforms, security, and enterprise software, providing insightful analysis to help IT professionals and businesses navigate the evolving technology landscape. His work has appeared in numerous leading publications, offering expert commentary and in-depth analysis on emerging trends and best practices in IT.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×