Rockstar Consortium Sues Google, Samsung And More Over Nortel Patents

The consortium that outbid some big-name companies, Rockstar, to grab the Nortel patents up from a bankruptcy issue, has filed patent lawsuits against a variety of companies, among them being Google, Samsung, and Huawei. There are seven companies in total, and all of them are accused of various patent violations. Thus far, none of the companies have commented on the lawsuits.

The consortium has many members that are fierce competitors to the aforementioned subjects of the lawsuit, including Microsoft, Apple, and Sony. The patents were purchased for a hefty $4.5 billion after a bidding war with Google, which had capped its bids at $4.4 billion. It was after this that Google switched gears and nabbed Motorola Mobility for a fraction of the cost.

Google seems to be the big focus of Rockstar's legal battle, with the consortium saying, "Despite losing in its attempt to acquire the patents-in-suit at auction, Google has infringed and continues to infringe." The Internet giant is said to be infringing on seven patents, all of which are said to work with matching up search queries with related advertisements.

According to the lawsuits, Google's patent infringements are "willful," and as such Rockstar is seeking higher damages. Details about what patents the other companies allegedly are infringing haven't been detailed, nor how much the consortium is seeking in damages. The Google case in particular is being handled in the Eastern District of Texas district court.

SOURCE: Reuters