Motorola sues Apple over patents for IPad, IPhone
A Motorola Inc. unit filed three lawsuits and a trade complaint against Apple Inc., alleging the maker of the iPad computer tablet and iPhone mobile phone is infringing 18 of its patents.
The complaints were filed today by Motorola Mobility Inc., the mobile phone making unit of Schaumburg, Illinois-based Motorola that the parent plans to spin off as it divides its businesses among two successor companies.
Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, alleges that Apple's iPhone, iPad and MacBook computers infringe patents for a method for distributing message traffic, among others. Motorola seeks injunctions to block the infringement.
“Apple's infringing activities have caused and will continue to cause Motorola irreparable harm,” according to one of the complaints in federal court in Chicago.
Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Motorola may spin off its phone and television set-top box business as soon as the first quarter, co-Chief Executive Officer Sanjay K. Jha said yesterday at an event in San Francisco. The company's two-way radio and bar code units will be called Motorola Solutions.
Jha's comments came as Motorola unveiled six smartphones including a version of its Droid handset for business users. The company is rebuilding its handset business around Google Inc.'s Android software.
While Cupertino, California-based Apple derived more than $13 billion in sales from its iPhones last year, Google's Android software has become the most popular operating system in the U.S. among new smartphone buyers in the past six months, passing the iPhone and Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry platforms, according to Nielsen Co.
“After Apple's late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations,” Motorola Mobility Vice President Kirk Dailey said in a statement, “but Apple refused to take a license.”
Motorola accused Apple of infringing six patents in a second case in Chicago. The third case, also involving six patents, was filed in federal court in Miami.
Motorola also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission accusing Apple of infringing 18 patents. The company asked the commission to launch an investigation with the ultimate goal of blocking Apple from importing infringing products to the U.S. and halting their advertising, marketing and distribution.
The cases are Motorola Mobility Inc. v Apple Inc., 10-cv-06381, and 10-cv-06385, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago); and Motorola Mobility Inc. v. Apple Inc., 10-cv-23580, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami).