ABS-CBN reported this morning:
Wireless e-mail firm Visto Corp. said on Thursday it filed a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. accusing the huge software maker of infringing on patents tied to e-mail access on mobile devices.
Closely held Visto said it is seeking a permanent injunction to stop Microsoft from "misappropriating" technology from Visto and its co-founder, developed nearly 10 years ago.
The suit comes as Visto's biggest rival, Research In Motion Ltd. faces a possible shut-down of its Blackberry mobile e-mail service in the United States after patent holding company NTP Inc. won an infringement ruling against RIM.
Visto said on Wednesday it signed a licensing agreement with NTP, which already licenses to Good Technology Inc., another rival, and Nokia.
But Visto Chief Executive Brian Bogosian said the Microsoft lawsuit was completely unrelated to the NTP licensing deal, or NTP's legal battle with Research In Motion.
Redwood Shores, California-based Visto said its lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas asserts Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 product infringes on three Visto patents.
"They're going to have to satisfy our requirements for playing in this market. Really, more important than money at this point, is receiving an injunction," Bogosian told reporters on a conference call.
He said Visto filed the lawsuit on Wednesday and did not approach Microsoft about a settlement first.
The chief executive said the Microsoft lawsuit did not preclude it from filing lawsuits against other firms it believes infringe on its patents. Visto says it holds 25 patents and has 57 patents pending.
Visto's customers include Vodafone Group Plc the world's biggest mobile phone service provider, as well as US market leader Cingular Wireless, a venture of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth and Sprint Nextel Corp.
Comments