Microsoft complained that Motorola Mobility was charging Microsoft too much for use of its patents in Microsoft products a week after the European Commission and the US Justice Department approved Internet search leader Google's $12.5 billion (€9.4 billion) acquisition of mobile phone-maker Motorola.
Google had pledged to licence Motorola patents on fair and reasonable terms if the deal were allowed to go ahead in the week before EU approval for the deal, which is still being reviewed by China's regulators.
But Microsoft argued that "Motorola has refused to make its patents available at anything remotely close to a reasonable price" in a blog posted by its deputy general counsel Dave Heiner on Wednesday.
As a result, Heiner said Microsoft had filed a formal competition law complaint against Motorola Mobility and Google.
"We have taken this step because Motorola is attempting to block sales of Windows PCs, our Xbox game console and other products," he said in the blog.
Heiner had initially named just Motorola Mobility in the blog post but in an update said the complaint also included Google.
Heiner said Motorola had filed lawsuits in the United States and in Europe demanding Microsoft take its products off the market, or else remove their standards-based ability to play video and connect wirelessly.
"Motorola is on a path to use standard essential patents to kill video on the Web, and Google, as its new owner, does not seem to be willing to change course," Heiner said.
Antoine Colombani, a spokesman for competition affairs at the EU Commission, said the regulator has received the complaint and will examine it.
Neither Motorola nor Google commented on the specific allegations. Motorola Mobility spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson said Motorola had not received a copy of the complaint but was "committed to vigorously defending its intellectual property."
Google dismissed the complaint as "just another example of their attempts to use the regulatory process to attack competitors." It did not give other examples in an emailed statement from a spokeswoman.
Apple Inc has also complained to the EU Commission about Motorola Mobility's patent charges, Motorola Mobility said in a regulatory filing last week.
Excessive charges?
Microsoft said that Motorola asked it to pay a royalty of $22.50 for a laptop computer worth $1,000 for its use of 50 Motorola patents that apply to a video technology standard.
This compares with a 2-cent royalty charged by a group of 29 companies that offer the use of more than 2,300 patents for products following the same video standard, according to Microsoft.
Motorola Mobility makes mobile phones and television set-top boxes and does not compete in the market for game consoles and computer operating systems.
The Microsoft complaint follows a Cisco Systems Inc appeal of the EU approval of Microsoft's own purchase of Internet communications provider Skype.
EU regulators are also investigating whether Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has infringed EU antitrust rules in its patent disputes with Apple in courts across Europe.
This was Microsoft's second complaint with EU antitrust regulators involving Google. A year ago, it accused the company of systematically thwarting rivals.
Microsoft was the target of antitrust action for two decades in Europe and the United States. EU regulators imposed fines of more than €1 billion on the company for breaching EU antitrust rules.
Motorola Xoom Android 4.04 ICS Update Release 2Day - Wireless and Mobile News
Motorola Xoom owners will have renewed faith in Motorola for updating the 3G/4G LTE Motorola Xoom tablet To Android 4.0 ICS which is due out today, June 4 according to a Verizon spokesman Albert Aydin.
When the Motorola Xoom was first released it had higher-end features than the iPad available at the time, it took a while for it to be updated to Verizon 4G LTE network but it did happen. On Black Friday, Verizon Wireless sold these high-end tab dual-core tablets for a mere $199.99 and we predicted that Motorola after being bought by Google would update the tablet. Motorola has come through even though it was at a much slower pace than promised.
The upgrade features speech-to-text technology, ability to dismiss individual notifications by swiping a finger , new launch bar customization, app folders and new photo editor. Verizon Wireless, typically for Over-the-Air updates, starts off slowly early on in the week and then pushes out in full force by the end of the week. To manually start the update at any time by going to Settings > About tablet > System updates. Select ”Install Now”. Your device will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.
The update IMM76, should take up to 25-30 minutes. Keep in mind that during the installation you will be unable to use your Motorola XOOM. The software update size is approximately 107.9 MB.
If the system update fails to install, you will get an error screen. However, this only means the software did not install properly. Simultaneously press the volume-up and power key to restart the tablet. The tablet will power back on with original software and will prompt you once again to install the system update.
Here are all the changes for the ICS update on the Motorola Xoom:
Enhancements & Fixes with Motorola Xoom Android 4.04 ICS Update
- Email, Messaging and Data
- 4G LTE upgrade issues resolved.
- Device successfully connects to 4G LTE network immediately after DUAL IMSI switch.
- Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) policy improvements.
- EAS security and sync fixed.
- Optimized EAS setup.
- Enhanced Client Conversions with EAS.
- Email search now available.
- Improved email folder ordering.
- Updated Browser with faster rendering, zoom and pan features.
- Users have the ability to save pages for offline reading and desktop versions of websites.
- Updated “People” application to integrate with Google+ and other social networks.
- Improved text input and spellcheck.
- Down arrow added in browser navigation bar.
- Improved device stability.
- Pressing the power button locks the device when you have a pattern, pin or password lock enabled.
- App launcher has been redesigned to allow app dragging to get information, uninstall and disable.
- Can launch camera from Lockscreen.
- Added effects during video recording.
- Single motion panorama mode.
- Added photo editor to the Gallery application.
- Updated widget controls to allow expansion and contraction to show more content.
- New system font (Roboto) for improved readability.
- Improved screen rotation response time.
- Optimized widget sizes.
- Improved device stability limits the number of resets.
- Improvements to Mobile Hotspot connectivity
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