M·CAM, Inc. releases Patently Obvious® on Microsoft’s U.S. Patent No. 6,891,551

Date:  Fri, 2011-03-25

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – March 25, 2011 – M·CAM, Inc. released its Patently Obvious® report today on the patent holdings of Microsoft highlighted in Microsoft Corporation v. Barnes & Noble, Inc. et. al.

On March 21, 2011, Microsoft filed a lawsuit asserting the Barnes & Noble Nook e-readers infringe five of its patents. In addition to Barnes & Noble, the case names the manufacturers of the device, Inventec and Hon Hai Precision Industry, as well as Hon Hai’s subsidiary Foxconn. Many view this latest suit as a further attack by Microsoft on Google’s Android software, on which the Nook is based. In October 2010, Microsoft brought infringement claims against Motorola, a maker of Android-based smart phones.

Using the M·CAM DOORS™ analytic platform, an intellectual property analysis of Microsoft’s U.S. Patent No. 6,891,551 (hereafter ”˜551) was conducted in order to understand its strength and defensibility in the face of prior and concurrent art innovation. The innovation space surrounding the ”˜551 patent and its patent family members was examined to determine which patent or patents may provide alternatives to or alter the value of Microsoft’s holdings.

The question stands: are Microsoft’s infringement claims valid, or will potential weaknesses in its asserted patents backfire and injure Microsoft’s portfolio?

M·CAM’s Patently Obvious® is a weekly report providing visibility into potentially unconsidered alternatives, including art in the public domain, to patent holdings across a variety of technology areas.

M·CAM, Inc. is a global, full-service intellectual property and rights (IP&R) and intangible asset financial services firm. We provide the technical and financial systems that allow public and private markets to use IP&R and IA for regulated transactions in banking, securities, insurance, and public innovation investment and technology procurement. From our pioneering work in creating the world’s first standards-based innovation collateralization financial products for banking and securities to our work in grassroots innovator enablement and patent quality assurance programs, M·CAM provides the mechanism to balance the interests of public and commercial sectors to support and build thriving economies.

The M·CAM Patently Obvious® report on the Microsoft patent can be found HERE.