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.