

HTC pays Microsoft over Android patents - ukdm
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20003602-56.html

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latch
First Apple, now Microsoft. Sucks to be HTC. Is Google going to step up and
defend their seemingly very patent-infringing OS any time soon?

~~~
ars
Can they?

They are not a party to the suit, and they apparently don't have any useful
patents of their own in this area to fight with, even if they were.

I predict HTC and Motorola will enter into a cross-licensing deal, and
Motorola will help HTC.

~~~
latch
Why do the patents need to be in the same area (ppl keep saying that, but I
don't understand why they have to counter-punch in the phone market)? They
have patents on pretty broad things, non-phone related things, like MapReduce.

Doesn't seem to be worthwhile to be an Android manufacturer. Lawsuit from
Apple and licensing arrangement w/Microsoft.

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invisible
They make patents sound like a pissing match (pardon the terminology). I
really don't understand the "I have patents that are vague but are issued in
the tele-comm industry so I could potentially sue you by picking one at
random... So don't sue me." I need the details on what particular portion
Microsoft feels is infringing, because right now it just sounds like they are
throwing their weight around because they can.

------
yason
So, does anyone know which patents are these, then?

------
patrickgzill
Can't compete? Litigate.

This is covered in some detail in the great book, "High Stakes No Prisoners"
by one of the founders of Vermeer (which became MS FrontPage when MS bought
them) - MS sits down and starts talking about their patents on editors and
editing technology in general.

