Microsoft Sues Barnes & Noble and Its Device Makers for Patent Infringement

On Moday, Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has announced the filing of legal actions in the International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington against Barnes & Noble, Inc., Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. and Inventec Corporation, for patent infringement.

The behemoth claims that Barnes & Noble and its device manufacturers infringe a series of Microsoft patents with their Android-based e-reader and tablet devices, all of which are being sold under the Barnes & Noble brand.

Basically, the legal action targets the Android mobile operating system present on these mobile devices, as the company itself notes.

We should also note that this is not the first time when Microsoft sues companies that have Android-based devices on shelves.

“Other vendors, including HTC, a market leader in Android smartphones, have taken a license under this program, and we have tried for over a year to reach licensing agreements with Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Inventec,” Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property & Licensing, commented.

“Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year to bring great software products and services to market,” he added.

The patents that the aforementioned Android devices allegedly infringe would be essential to user experiences, Microsoft notes, adding that, through them, Android-based devices benefit of key Microsoft patented innovations to be more user-friendly.

“Our patents help make possible key features that users have come to expect from their tablets and other “smart” devices,” says Microsoft.

Among these, the company includes natural ways of interacting with devices by moving between various screens, the way in which users could browse the Internet in a faster way, or the manner in which users interact with documents on their devices.

The software giant has a long history in the development of computer software, which allowed it to have important patents in these areas.