Microsoft Sues Barnes & Noble Over Android Device Patent Infringement

Microsoft filed a lawsuit today suing Barnes & Noble and its two contract manufacturers Foxconn and Inventec for patent infringement involving the Nook e-reader. Filed in the US District Court in Washington and with the US International Trade Commission, the action actually targets the entire Android platform.

"The Android platform infringes a number of Microsoft's patents, and companies manufacturing and shipping Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights," Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez said in a statement, "To facilitate that we have established an industry-wide patent licensing program for Android device manufacturers."

According to Gutierrez, Microsoft "tried for over a year to reach licensing agreements with Barnes & Noble, Foxconn, and Inventec." Other manufacturers such as HTC, have already agreed to license Microsoft patents.

"Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year to bring great software products and services to market," said Gutierrez.

[via All Things Digital]