Microsoft and Motorola are in court, facing each other in a FRAND patent suit. Microsoft said that it would pay to license Motorola's H.264 and Wi-Fi patents. The problem is that Motorola is demanding 2.25% of the retail price for each device that uses the patents. These include Windows 7 devices, Windows Phone 7 powered devices and the Xbox 360. Because the patents involved are standards-essential, the terms must be worked out using fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) negotiations.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is one of the devices that uses Motorola's patents
Microsoft says that Motorola is not playing the game fairly. While the Redmond based firm has already agreed to pay a fair value for the patents, Motorola argues that the 2.25% it wants Microsoft to pay is the same percentage it asks for universally, and as such, represents fair value. Opening statements started on Tuesday and the case is expected to run to Thanksgiving.
There is a big difference between what each company feels the patents are worth. Motorola wants $4 billion a year for the patents in its portfolio while Microsoft values them at $1.25 million or less. Additionally, Microsoft claims that Google already offered them a worldwide license for the standard rate agreement when the essential patent rules were being formulated. If the court finds that Google did make this offer to Microsoft, Motorola will receive a lot less money than it was hoping to get.
To make sure that this trial doesn't turn into the media circus that the Apple-Samsung patent trial turned into, both sides requested that the courtroom be cleared when financial matters are being discussed, a request denied by the judge. While the judge did say that the public won't be allowed to see evidence related to patent negotiations or financial data, he did note that any testimony will be made in open court meaning that "if a witness discloses pertinent terms, rates or payments, such information will necessarily be made public."
Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: