Google is pointing fingers these days, this time at Microsoft and Nokia, through an antitrust complaint filed in Europe. This will be filed by an US filing of the same suit. Google called MS and Nokia “patent trolls” and claims that the two companies have received unfair advantages from third parties.
An example is Canadian company Mosaid Technologies, that’s supposed to legally enforce their patent rights and share the revenues with the two giants. Google describes its own actions as a pre-emptive measure to avoid potential suits in the future. The problem is that phone making companies may perceive Android as a vulnerability, of various firms start tearing it apart with lawsuits about patent breach. So, these phone makers could opt for Windows Phone software instead, in order to avoid problems…
Nokia and Microsoft are supposed to do all these moves to raise costs of mobile phones, says Google. Microsoft replied, by saying that the search engine giant shouldn’t complain about antitrust in the smartphone biz, since it controls 95% of the mobile search and advertising, with is also reason to start some antitrust investigations. MS also says that Google is abusing standard essential patents without responding to the regulators’ complaints. Nokia and Mosaid didn’t comment on this. If you want background, know that last year MS and Nokia made a cross licensing deal for patents. Also Mosaid bought Core Wireless and 2,000 wireless patents originally filed by Nokia. So, now the company is in very good terms with MS and Nokia, as it keeps the patents tight to the chest…
