X

Motorola to bring another six patents into Apple fight

It's rearming itself in an effort to outflank Apple in the companies' ongoing patent litigation battle, according to Foss Patents.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
See full bio
Roger Cheng
2 min read

Motorola Mobility is bringing a bit more ammunition to its patent war with Apple.

The company plans to assert six additional patents in Florida, according to Foss Patents.

The patents represent a further escalation of the ongoing battle between Apple and Motorola, and is just one part of Apple's broader dispute with Android vendors and Google. Apple and Motorola have lawsuits in various courts around the world.

Motorola declined to comment to CNET.

CNET contacted Apple for a comment. We'll update the story when we get a response.

Motorola is seen as a company with a healthy portfolio of wireless-related patents, which is why Google opted to acquire the company. Motorola and Google said they plan to close the deal by the end of the first half.

These patents, in particular, relate to technology covering over-the-air software updates, a radio system for subscriber communication, a secure wireless commerce system, intelligent communication management, the ability to provide assistance to a customer over the mobile network, and a message alert and notification system.

Foss Patents blogger and legal consultant Florian Mueller said it will likely take some time for the courts to process and include these additional patents into the case.

The assertion comes after Apple brought six of its own patents in lawsuits against Motorola and HTC, Mueller noted.

In each legal battle, the amount of patents can often improve a company's chance at scoring a victory. The companies are looking to the courts to enforce a ban on their competitors' products, forcing the two sides to sit down and strike a licensing deal. So far, neither of the companies has scored such a legal victory, but they continue to pour on the pressure in multiple courtrooms.