Motorola’s mobile devices and TV set-top box subsidiary is suing Apple for patent infringement, alleging that its California-based rival is illegally using Motorola technology in many of its core products and services, including the iPhone and the App Store.
Motorola Mobility, the subsidiary, filed complaints in the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of Florida, as well as with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The company said the complaints involve 18 patents relating to “early-stage innovations developed by Motorola” that can be found in the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and some Mac computers. The patents cover such technologies as antenna design, wireless e-mail and location-based services, Motorola said.
Schaumburg-based Motorola is planning to spin off Motorola Mobility into an independent public company in the first quarter of 2011.
Kirk Dailey, Motorola Mobility’s corporate vice president of intellectual property, said in a statement that “lengthy negotiations” with Apple over a patent license were unsuccessful.
“We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple’s continued infringement,” Dailey said. “Motorola will continue to take all necessary steps to protect its R&D and intellectual property, which are critical to the company’s business.”
An Apple spokeswoman said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Motorola’s legal actions against Apple come less than a week after Motorola was sued by Microsoft over patent infringement. Microsoft said Motorola is violating nine of its patents with smartphones running Google’s Android operating system.
A Motorola spokeswoman said Wednesday the company has no further comment on the Microsoft suit.
Oh please. Motorola’s product line was so lame that when I purchased my first iPhone and went to dinner with a friend of mine that worked at Motorola, I almost didn’t get it back. Yes, Motorola and Apple had been working together on many projects, but then Apple jilted Motorola and they have been pouting ever since. The fact that the only reason Motorola has a decent product line now comes from Google giving them a free (better than Motorola could develop themselves) operating system.
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