Barnes & Noble on Monday received some potentially good news following the rejection of its antitrust suit against Microsoft earlier this month. Microsoft is looking to halt the import of the bookseller’s Nook slates, claiming the devices infringe three Microsoft patents.
Microsoft has since shaved the number of patents in the case down to just three. ITC proceedings follow a much different path than what we’re used to seeing in federal court cases. Before the administrative law judge hands down a preliminary ruling on the infringement claims, the ITC staff attorney assigned to the case provides a recommendation to the judge. That’s what happened here. The staff recommendation is not a binding ruling and mainly serves to assist the judge.
Microsoft claims the Android operating system found on Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader utilizes its protected technology, and the software giant has signed agreements with roughly 70% of Android vendors in the United States to license the technology in question. Judge Essex is expected to release his findings on April 27th.
[ilink url="http://www.bgr.com/2012/02/06/itc-attorney-backs-barnes-noble-in-microsoft-patent-case/"]Via: BGR[/ilink]
[ilink url="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-06/barnes-noble-backed-by-u-s-agency-staff-in-microsoft-case-1-.html"]Source: Bloomberg[/ilink]
