Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Mapping Patents

jfruh writes "The mobile patent wars continue, with two of the world's biggest tech companies about to blunder into direct conflict. Microsoft holds a number of patents that it claims give it rights over mobile map applications that overlay data from multiple databases (map info from one database and store location info from another, for instance). Many Android vendors already pay Redmond licensing fees for their mapping apps; now Redmond is going to court in Germany to sue one of the holdouts: Motorola Mobility, which is of course owned by Google."

Apple + Microsoft

[should_be_linear]

Owners of "Sore losers" patent pool.

Obviousness

[Anonymous Coward]

> map applications that overlay data from multiple databases

Sounds blatantly obvious to someone skilled in the art...

Re:Apple + Microsoft

[poetmatt]

Owners of the "how dare you compete with us?" pool, you mean. Same thing though. Does MS realize how quickly this will backfire? You know they're only using German courts to avoid publicity and pull an East Texas, which is not going to happen here.