Why can’t we all just get along? The tech world has seen its share of suits with Apple and Samsung battling and now Motorola is suing Apple. Check out why they are suing after the jump.
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Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. filed a new patent infringement lawsuit against Apple Inc. this week targeting the most recent version of the iPhone as Motorola’s merger with Apple rival Google Inc. moves toward final regulatory approval.
Motorola filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging Apple has infringed on six patents related to mobile technology.
Each count in the complaint names Apple’s iPhone 4S, introduced last October, as an allegedly infringing device. Apple this week reported quarterly results that included record sales for the company, thanks in part to strong demand for the iPhone.
The complaint filed on Tuesday also names Apple’s iCloud content storage service as an infringing product. The iCloud service was unveiled last year.
Motorola’s latest suit comes as the Libertyville, Ill., company nears the completion of a long-anticipated merger with Google. Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., announced in August it would purchase Motorola for $12.5 billion, and the companies are currently seeking antitrust approval from regulators.
Google’s Android mobile software has emerged as a significant rival to Apple’s iOS platform used to power the iPhone and other devices.
Google has stated publicly that the Motorola purchase is intended in part to help bolster Android’s legal standing, and protect it from patent litigation.
The merger agreement filed publicly by the companies appears to limit Motorola’s ability to independently file new patent infringement suits.
However, Motorola had previously filed a related patent suit against Apple in Florida, in 2010.
“Today’s action relates to the same patents we are already asserting in Florida against Apple,” a Motorola spokeswoman said in a statement. “Motorola Mobility has worked diligently over the years to develop cutting-edge technology and to build an intellectual property portfolio that is respected by the entire industry.”
A Google spokeswoman declined to comment, noting that the company and Motorola are still operating separately.
An Apple representative also declined to comment.
News of Motorola’s latest patent suit was first reported by the Foss Patents blog, which covers technology patent issues.
Google has in the past assigned patents to partners which were then used to sue Apple.
In September of last year, HTC Corp. used a handful of patents obtained from Google to sue Apple in a Delaware court for alleged infringement.
