Close
  • Latest News
  • 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
Logo
  • Latest News
  • 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
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • PC Hardware

    Microsoft Targeted by Motorola ITC Complaint

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    November 24, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Microsoft again finds itself in Motorola’s legal cross-hairs, with the manufacturer filing a patent-infringement complaint against the Xbox franchise with the International Trade Commission.

      Motorola Mobility, the manufacturer’s subsidiary, is requesting “that the Commission conduct an investigation under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended regarding Certain Gaming and Entertainment Consoles, Related Software, and Components Thereof,” according to a Nov. 22 note posted on the ITC’s Website. The respondent is “Microsoft Corporation,” which manufactures the Xbox.

      Section 337 seeks to address unfair import competition, and the ITC can use it to ban the importation of goods that violate U.S. patents. Certain tech companies have found themselves the target of ITC investigations for allegedly running afoul of the law, often in response to rivals’ complaints about patent infringement. Those companies’ tradition of manufacturing their products in other countries, and then shipping them to the U.S., makes them vulnerable to such investigations.

      Motorola and Microsoft have spent the fall locked in an escalating series of legal battles, which entered a new stage Nov. 10 when Motorola Mobility filed patent-infringement complaints against the software giant with the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Florida and the Western District of Wisconsin.

      Motorola accused Microsoft’s PC and Server software, Windows Phone software and Xbox products of violating some 16 patents. That action seemed a response to Microsoft’s Nov. 9 lawsuit, which alleged that Motorola had violated agreements to license at “reasonable rates” patents related to H.264 video compression and wireless LAN.

      In that lawsuit, Microsoft argued that Motorola had made those commitments to both the IEEE-SA (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association) and ITU (International Telecommunications Union). Microsoft claimed that Motorola wants its patent royalties adjusted to the price of end products such as the Xbox, as opposed to the component software, which it argues is a condition to arduous to let stand.

      Meanwhile, Motorola has positioned its complaints against Microsoft has straight-up patent infringement. “Motorola’s R&D and intellectual property are of great importance to the Company and are renowned worldwide,” Kirk Dailey, corporate vice president of intellectual property at Motorola Mobility, wrote in a Nov. 10 statement posted on Motorola’s corporate Website. “We are committed to protecting the interests of our shareholders, customers and other stakeholders and are bringing this action against Microsoft in order to halt its infringement of key Motorola patents.”

      Nor are Motorola and Microsoft the only two gladiators battling in this particular arena at the moment. Apple has also filed a claim against Motorola and its Mobility subsidiary with the ITC, asking for a ban on the manufacturers’ phone imports into the U.S. That marks yet another patent-related battle for Cupertino, which is also crossing swords with HTC and Nokia over the rights to certain mobile technology.

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×