Google and MicroSoft end business litigation over patents
On behalf of Kadish & Associates Law Group posted in Business Litigation on Thursday, October 8, 2015.
Arizona readers may be aware that Google, Inc. and MicroSoft Corp. have been involved in a patent war for quite some time. Recently, the two technological powerhouses decided to end their ongoing business litigation. However, neither party has agreed to refrain from filing new complaints should either company believe it to be necessary in the future.
The technology that the two companies were fighting over included wifi, mobile phones and the Xbox game console, along with other MicroSoft Windows products. Any litigation surrounding Motorola Mobility and its patents was also dropped. Lenovo Group Ltd purchased Motorola Mobility from Google, though Motorola retained its patents.
An agreed collaboration with regard to some patents does not mean that the two companies will cease to be at odds with each other. Creating search engines, mobile computing devices and other products could once again mean that one company or the other will claim exclusive rights over one patent or another. One of the biggest points of contention between the companies concerned licenses to video and wireless patents that MicroSoft needs for the Xbox. Google and MicroSoft are not the first to settle such contentious patent litigation.
Apple and Samsung came to an agreement in 2014 to stop all business litigation regarding their patents. It is not unusual for companies across the country to file lawsuits against parties they believe are infringing on their patents. Anyone in Arizona who has reason to believe that someone is using his or her patented material without permission may consider filing similar litigation. Patents are part of a company’s intellectual property, which adds value to the company. If others are allowed to use it unchecked, it may diminish the worth of the business that owns the patent.
Source: Reuters, “Microsoft, Google stand down in patent battles“, Andrew Chung, Sept. 30, 2015