Microsoft sues over Android

Shanghai Daily, March 23, 2011

Microsoft Corp broadened its attack on Google Inc's Android software, filing patent infringement lawsuits against Barnes & Noble Inc and two manufacturers over the Android-based Nook e-reader.

In the complaint filed monday in US District Court in Seattle, Microsoft said it is seeking triple damages based on willful patent infringement of five patents, plus legal costs and an injunction against further infringement. Microsoft said it also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, which can bar imports of infringing products.

Barnes & Noble's Nook and Nook Color devices, which compete with Amazon's Kindle e-reader and various Sony Corp devices, are based on Android, system software developed by Google first for smartphones and then for tablet computers. Microsoft also sued Motorola, a maker of Android-based smartphones, for patent infringement in October 2010. Motorola counter-sued in November.

Microsoft's lawsuits don't go after Google directly, but they could still hurt the web search leader if device makers decide they don't want to pay to license Microsoft's technology or risk a legal tussle with the software maker.

Microsoft said in the complaint that the Nook e-reader devices and software step on patented technology for showing a webpage's content before loading background images, allowing users to read the page faster. It also pointed to technology around the way "apps," or small programs, indicate the status of a download, and technology for opening a separate window on the screen that makes navigating through content easier. The other two patents are related to selecting and annotating text in documents.

The suit also named Taiwanese manufacturers Inventec Corp and Foxconn International Holdings Ltd.

On a company blog, Microsoft said that after a year of discussions, Barnes & Noble, Inventec and Foxconn, part of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, have been unwilling to sign a license.