Microsoft Slammed With Two More Patent Suits

Two more patent suits have been filed against Microsoft, both in the same East Texas jurisdiction where i4i won $240m against the company.

Back in 2006, the New York Times claimed Eastern Texas "the patent lawsuit capital of the nation,” and there might well be some truth to that. It’s where Canadian company i4i won a $240 million judgment against Microsoft, including an injunction against it selling Word.

Now, in that same jurisdiction, Microsoft has been hit by two more patent lawsuits, according to Information Week.

Speech recognition company Allvoice Developments US is claiming that the speech recognition software that built into the XP and Vista operating systems violates its patent, and is seeking unspecified damages.

EMG Technology, a mobile software developer, claims that three Microsoft products – Windows CE, PocketPC, and Windows Mobile – all infringe a patent it owns for letting users view Web content on mobile devices. EMG has also named Scottrade and Southwest Airlines in its suit, which, yes, asks for unspecified damages. EMG has previously sued Apple.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has filed an appeal against the injunction that would stop the company selling Word, stating it would cause “irreparable harm” and “a major public disruption” is the word processing software vanished from shelves to be redesigned.