Patent fights could change Google's Android pitch

From CNET News.com: Microsoft has now joined Apple in a guerrilla war against Google's Android, and Google's next steps are far from certain.

The smartphone industry is still in its infancy, but its strategic importance to computer companies big and small can't be overstated. Recent moves from Apple and Microsoft show that the big guys are not going to be shy about deploying their array of patents as competition increases.

HTC's lawyers have had a busy couple of weeks, responding to a wide-ranging patent lawsuit filed by Apple and negotiating a patent licensing deal with Microsoft. The common thread? HTC's Android phones, which represent some of its best work over the last year and a possible threat to Apple's and Microsoft's mobile ambitions.

So why all this attention to HTC, the fourth-largest smartphone maker in the world? HTC is perhaps the most high-profile Android customer, along with Motorola and Samsung. Unfortunately for HTC, it's also considered to be the most patent-poor company among those mobile partners.

Companies like Motorola, with a legacy of mobile phone development, have a far better defensive position, said Ken Dulaney, an analyst with Gartner. Any company that tried to sue Motorola over mobile patent issues would likely find itself ripe for a countersuit, given that Motorola could pick through its array of patents and find technology that arguably infringes on its holdings.

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