Microsoft Sues Barnes & Noble, Foxconn Over Nook E-Reader

Microsoft is suing Barnes & Noble, Foxconn International Holdings and Inventec for patent infringement, claiming that they have attempted to reach licensing agreements with the three companies for the past year.

Microsoft alleges that Barnes & Noble and the manufacturers of its Nook e-reader violate the software company's Android operating system-based patents. Microsoft has "established an industry-wide patent licensing program for Android device manufacturers," according to the statement from Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing. Other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), like HTC, which makes several popular Android-based smartphones, comply with the program. Microsoft is specifically concerned with patents that cover browser-based Web surfing, document interaction and touch-screen navigation.