Redmond vs. Android
Microsoft isn't just fighting Google's Android in the market (a battle that will heat up with the release of Windows Mobile 7), it may also wage a patent war in the courts.
Microsoft has patents upon which Android apparently infringes. Microsoft reached an agreement with phone-maker HTC which releases them from patent action.
This deal legitimizes, to some degree, the Microsoft patents, making it easier for Redmond to press its case against Android creator Google -- which I'm sure they'd love to do.
These cases may be legit, but they can also harm users as royalties drive up prices and sometimes good technologies are yanked. And if a patent war ensues, I'm sure Google has plenty to pester Microsoft with.
Are patents an evil that only harms customers or a necessary protection for true inventions? Send your thoughts, royalty-free, to dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 03, 2010 at 11:53 AM