Microsoft sues Google directly in German Maps-on-Moto lawsuit Microsoft is taking the rare step of suing Google directly for something, tacking it onto a lawsuit against Motorola Mobility over Google Maps. Yesterday in Munich court, Microsoft's general counsel Dr Tilman Müller-Stoy told Moto that it was going to amend its complaint to add its parent Google as an additional defendant. Dr …
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"The difference is that Microsoft doesn't make a habit of copying anyone where they don't have a licensing agreement to do so" -- Really? As far as I can tell, Microsoft seem to be last to the table for many technologies and services nowadays, usually Google or Apple do it first then $MS follow suit to "stay relevant".
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1. Apple and microsoft become chums
2. Apple chucks out Gmaps for own malformed baby
3. microsoft sue google over maps
All the same, I think Big G have more mapping sueball ammo than either of the other two. surely it's a bit like punching Mike Tyson in the hope you knock him down by hitting a previously undiscovered weak spot in the hope he doesn't punch you back. Ever.
Not necessarily true. First digital maps were created before Google was even founded: "Etak, founded in 1984, was the first company to digitize the maps of the world, as part of the first commercial automotive navigation system". Google didn't develop its maps, it bought Australian company Where 2 Technologies in October 2004. I very much doubt that either Where 2 Technologies or Google hold any of original digital map patents...
And Microsoft had web maps at least 6 years before Google: "Bing Maps was based on existing Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft MapPoint, and TerraServer", and the latter was "under continuous operation from June 1998". Guess do MS have any patents for the tech?
Moto have too many patents that are non frand plus a shed load of applied for ones.
MS may have woken the sleeping dragon with this and we may see Google decide to make it a fight to the finish of either these stupid patent wars by either forcing everyone to see sense or by forcing the US government to step in and force the companies to talk to each other and sort it out.
Hopefully Google also have enough patents etc on mapping tied up themselves and via Moto patents to be able to fight back and tie up both Apple and Nokia at the same time to force both of them to talk.....
"Microsoft's decision to target Google Inc. directly as a co-defendant is also logical for another reason. At today's hearing, there was no Motorola Mobility employee, though there were Motorola in-house lawyers at almost all of the other German court hearings. Instead, the person representing Motorola (!) today was Karen Robinson, an in-house litigation counsel at Google Inc. from Mountain View, California. This shows how Google not only remote-controls but even micromanages Motorola's litigation, at least when one of Google's key online services is at issue.
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/10/microsoft-tells-german-court-it-will.html
Much as I hate patent lawsuits, maybe it's better to be going after the organ grinder and leave the monkeys alone.
Google have been insulated from most of the lawsuits involving Android and IP, which is a bit wrong, imo. They have designed the underlying O/S, but their name is not on the box, so they seem to be Teflon.
Obviously, this doesn't apply to arguments involving rectangles with rounded corners, 'cos they're just pants.
Apple never saw any of my cash and never will, and now MS is never going to see mine again. Next notebook I buy I will DEMAND a refund for the crap OS (win 8) on it even if it means initiating a lawsuit. Looks like German courts are becoming the EU troll havens.
Anyone who bought a Microsoft product should hang their head in shame for helping the lawyers' club remove yet another choice from the consumer.
Keep buying Microsoft, or Apple for that matter, and you're a selfish fool helping ruin software and consumer electronics.
Much like like a mid-70s nurse facilitiating Jim's 'fixes', you could just close your eyes I suppose. When it comes to sources of noxious, warm outgassing like the EU.... better out than in I always say.
I think what really lies behind this is market share or, at least, MS lack of share.
Balmer is having a rough of late, what with a pay cut, etc. And his latest idea of an iOS rentable computer might not be the greatest idea, techies like freedom.
I won't authorise the purchase of any equipment, of any type, that ties me to a single source supplier.
More patent nonsense. I hope a judge throws all these stupid things out of court, so that the world can get back to innovating and developing new ideas rather than fighting in the courtroom. As soon as you take something like this to court its basically admitting that you're not man enough to fight in the marketplace.
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