Microsoft apparently makes $5 from every Android handset that HTC sells, plus seeking $15 per Android device that Samsung sells too. These are just a couple manufacturers that Microsoft makes the Android green off of, smaller manufacturers like Velocity Micro and General Dynamics also dish out royalty cheques to Microsoft. The reason is because Microsoft owns various patents that are in Google’s Android platform… so the more popular Android becomes the richer Microsoft becomes.
Yesterday in Washington, Microsoft was once again before the International Trade Commission and declared that Motorola Mobility infringed on 7 of their patents. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has “requested a halt to imports of certain Motorola phones”, specifically the Droid 2, Droid X, Cliq XT, Devour, Backflip and Charm.
David Howard, Microsoft’s corporate VP and deputy general counsel for litigation, said “Motorola is infringing our patents and we are confident that the ITC will rule in our favor”. Microsoft stated the 7 patents are “essential to the smartphone user experience” which looks to include from how e- mail synchronization;calendars and contacts; scheduling meetings; and notify applications of changes in signal strength and battery power… basically the entire smartphone except the design.
In response, Motorola Mobility is “vigorously defending” itself “against Microsoft’s patent attack business strategy,” Jennifer Erickson, a Motorola Mobility spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. “We have also brought legal actions of our own in the U.S. and in Europe to address Microsoft’s large scale of infringement of Motorola Mobility’s patents.”
Google, who recently purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, was not named in the case. The commission is expecting to complete their investigation of the claims by March 5th.
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