ITC Sides With Microsoft Over Patent; Motorola Android Phones Could Be Banned
from the we-protect-patents-by-blocking-cool-products? dept
It's a difficult time to be making an Android phone, it appears. Just days after customs started blocking various HTC phones based on an ITC injunction due to some Apple patents, the ITC has also ruled in favor of Microsoft in a patent dispute with Motorola over Android phones. While there will be appeals and other such things, if this stands, and there is no settlement, Motorola's phones could also be blocked at the border by ITC injunction. Motorola, for its part, noted that Microsoft filed with the ITC over nine patents, and the ITC has only said that the phones violate one patent. Of course, since the ITC has only injunctive relief, it doesn't seem to much matter if it's one, two, six or nine -- the phone can be blocked. I am, once again, at a loss as to how this does any good. Keeping competing products from entering the market seems like the opposite of how you encourage innovation.Filed Under: android, itc
Companies: apple, htc, microsoft, motorola
