A patent holder on Friday announced it has sued Apple, Google and other major tech companies for allegedly infringing patents on wireless e-mail delivery.
NTP, a business that solely manages patents related to wireless e-mail technologies, said it was suing Apple, Google, HTC Corp, LG Electronics, Microsoft Corporation and Motorola, alleging that they were unfairly using NTP’s intellectual property.
“Use of NTP’s intellectual property without a license is just plain unfair to NTP and its licensees,” said Donald E. Stout, NTP’s co-founder. “Unfortunately, litigation is our only means of ensuring the inventor of the fundamental technology on which wireless email is based, Tom Campana, and NTP shareholders are recognized, and are fairly and reasonably compensated for their innovative work and investment. We took the necessary action to protect our intellectual property.”
NTP is known for taking similar action against Research in Motion over wireless e-mail technology. The two parties in 2006 reached a settlement in which RIM agreed to pay $612 million to NTP.
Though NTP claims it is protecting its intellectual property, it does not itself produce or offer any wireless e-mail software or services, meaning it does not practice its own patents. In addition to RIM, NTP has also fired legal shells at Palm, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. Some observers have labeled NTP a “patent troll.”
See Also:
- Patent Lawsuit Threatens to Clip Twitter's Wings
- Apple Fires at HTC, But the Target Is Google
- Twitter Fires Back in Patent Infringement Lawsuit
- HTC Cuts Patent Deal With Microsoft Over Android
Photo: caribb/Flickr
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/D2xHcZ1o4fQ/
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