Monday, March 21, 2011

Microsoft Sues Barnes & Noble Over Android Readers

Software giant Microsoft said Monday that it has sued Barnes & Noble, Foxconn, and Inventec over Barnes & Noble's Android-based electronic readers and tablets. Microsoft said the lawsuit comes as a direct result of that firm's use of Android as a platform, saying that Android platform infringes on "a number of" its patents. Saying that it failed to force Barnes & Noble, Foxconn, and Inventec licensing fees for its patents after more than a year of effort, Microsoft insisted that "companies manufacturing and shipping Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights." Microsoft had managed last year to get HTC to pay licensing fees for its own Android phones over the same issue.