Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble, Foxconn over alleged patent violations

Andre Yoskowitz
22 Mar 2011 13:40

Microsoft has sued Barnes & Noble and the large manufacturers Foxconn and Iventec this week, alleging each of the companies violates patents relating to the Android mobile operating system.
The suit revolves around the B&N Nook e-reader, which uses Android 2.1.

Says Microsoft CVP and deputy general counsel for intellectual property & licensing Horacio Gutierrez:

The Android platform infringes a number of Microsoft's patents, and companies manufacturing and shipping Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights. To facilitate that, we have established an industry-wide patent licensing program for Android device manufacturers.

We have tried for over a year to reach licensing agreements [with B&N, Foxconn, Iventec]. Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations.

The patents seem very broad and include "natural ways of interacting with devices by tabbing through various screens," and "interacting with documents and e-books," says eW.

Microsoft has been filing similar lawsuits for over a year, but mainly with smartphone manufacturers, like Motorola, HTC and others. In April of last year, HTC settled and agreed to pay royalties.