TomTom announced today that Microsoft is suing them for patent infringement, however they denied that they had violated any of Microsoft’s patent rights. Microsoft said that it it taking legal action against the GPS maker after the two failed to reach a licencing agreement after more then a year of negotiation.
Microsoft explained that the alleged patent violation is related to advances in car navigation technology that they have already licensed to other companies, including TomTom competitor Garmin. Given that their competitors can legally use the technology, analysts think that TomTom will most likely settle out of court rather then get into a prolonged legal battle.
[via Reuters]









dave freeman you idiot, fix your spelling man!
I’m mystified. — The article doesn’t say what’s being infringed.
I had TomTom software on an iPaq handheld running Windows CE a long time ago. So, the TomTom metaphor and GUI was developed way before dedicated portable satnav devices existed.