Factbox: Key legal battles in wireless industry
Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:32am EDT
(Reuters) - The mobile telecoms industry has seen a wave of legal battles in recent years as long-established incumbents try to protect their position against newcomers like Google, the front-runner with a $900 million offer in an auction for Nortel's massive patent portfolio.
Following are the main legal battles in the industry:
ORACLE VS GOOGLE
Oracle is seeking damages of up to $6.1 billion from Google in a lawsuit filed in August 2010.
The suit claims Google's increasingly popular Android operating system violated patents that protect Oracle's Java software, which it bought through its acquisition of Sun.
APPLE VS GOOGLE
Apple has also attacked Google's Android platform, by suing cellphone makers Samsung Electronics, Motorola Mobility and HTC.
Apple sued Samsung in April this year, claiming Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets infringe several patents and trademarks. Samsung then countersued, asserting its own patents against Apple.
Motorola and Apple sued each other in October last year, while Apple filed patent infringement suits against HTC in March 2010. HTC later countersued.
MICROSOFT VS GOOGLE
In October 2010, Microsoft charged its former ally Motorola, saying the U.S. phone maker infringed nine of its patents in Android-based smartphones.
Motorola countersued a month later, accusing the software company of infringing 16 of its patents.
In March this year Microsoft sued Barnes & Noble and its device manufacturers, Foxconn International and Inventec Corporation, claiming patent infringement in Android devices.
HTC has agreed to pay royalties to Microsoft when using the Android platform in its phones.
GEMALTO VS GOOGLE
Chipmaker Gemalto filed a patent infringement lawsuit in October 2010 against Google, and handset makers Motorola, HTC and Samsung over the Android operating system.
KODAK VS RIM, APPLE
Photography company Eastman Kodak Co filed a complaint against Apple and Research In Motion in January 2010, arguing Apple's iPhone and RIM's camera-enabled BlackBerrys infringe a Kodak patent related to a method for previewing images.
NOKIA VS APPLE
Nokia sparked a battle with the iPhone-maker, filing a case in the United States in October 2009, claiming Apple infringed 10 of its patents related to wireless communication.
Nokia won in June, when Apple agreed to make an undisclosed one-off payment and pay royalties.
(Compiled by Tarmo Virki in Helsinki)
Credit: Reuters (www.reuters.com)
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