Microsoft on Wednesday said it is steering Netherlands-based vehicle navigation systems firm TomTom to court for infringing on the software giant’s patented technology. <\/p>\n
Microsoft filed complaints against TomTom in US district court and with the International Trade Commission, according to Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel of intellectual property and licensing at Microsoft. <\/p>\n
"We have taken this action after attempting for more than a year to engage in licensing discussions with TomTom," Gutierrez said. <\/p>\n
"In situations such as this, when a reasonable business agreement cannot be reached, we have no choice but to pursue legal action to protect our innovations and our partners who license them." <\/p>\n
A spokesman in TomTom’s US office declined to comment, telling AFP that it is company policy not to discuss legal matters. <\/p>\n
Patents involved in the case relate to vehicle navigation technology and computer software that Microsoft has licensed to other firms, according to Gutierrez. <\/p>\n
TomTom bills itself as the world’s leading "navigation solutions provider." <\/p>\n
TomTom devices such as its popular GO guide drivers by using satellite tracking of vehicles along with a vast database built with the help of digital map firm TeleAtlas, which it bought in 2008. <\/p>\n
Last month, TomTom launched GO 740 Live services that stream real-time traffic updates, weather, and local fuel prices to navigation devices that typically mount on dashboards. <\/p>\n
Live also enables people to search the Internet using Google. "TomTom is a highly respected and important company," Gutierrez said. <\/p>\n
"We remain open to quickly resolving this situation with them through an IP licensing agreement."<\/p>\n