Tension Grows Between Apple and Google as Motorola Files iPhone Lawsuit

Reports are coming in that Motorola Mobility has just filed a significant lawsuit against Apple in the US over the illegal use of its intellectual property. Motorola believes that Apple is using its patents in both its iPhone 4S and iCloud products.

MM recently won an injunction against Apple late last year in a German court. And although the decision has yet to make an impact on Apple’s sales in the country, it could certainly play a major part in Motorola’s new lawsuit here in the States…

The lawsuit was filed in the southern district of Florida and relates to 6 of Motorola’s patents:

  • “Receiver having concealed external antenna”
  • “Multiple pager status synchronization system and method”
  • “Method and apparatus for communicating summarized data”
  • “System for communicating user-selected criteria filter prepared at wireless client to communication server for filtering data transfered from host to said wireless client”
  • “Apparatus for controlling utilization of software added to a portable communication device”
  • Method and apparatus in a wireless messaging system facilitating an exchange of address information”

The big news here, as FOSSPatents points out, is that Google more than likely gave Motorola the green light to file this lawsuit. The search giant is in the process of buying out the handset-maker and has already taken control over many aspects of the company.

Apple’s never gone head to head with Google in the courtroom — only Android manufacturers. But something tells us it won’t be long before this happens. And once Apple comes face-to-face with its true enemy in all of this, we imagine things could get pretty interesting.

[AppleInsider]