Microsoft again lands in patent infringement lawsuit

Microsoft Corp.'s legal troubles intesified  yesterday with two new lawsuits filed against the software giant alleging patent infringement, both in East Texas.

EMG Technology, a little known software developer, has filed a lawsuit against not only Microsoft but also Scottrade and Southwest Airlines that centers on patent 7020845 "navigating Internet content on a television using a simplified interface and a remote control," and patent 7441196, "apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling Internet content."

The suit, which claims unspecified damages, alleges that Microsoft Windows CE, PocketPC and Windows mobile all violate these patents.

Another company, AllVoice Developments, also filed a suit against Microsoft in East Texas over patent 5799273, "automated proofreading using interface linking recognised words to their audio data while text is being changed," which AllVoice alleges has been violated by Windows XP and Windows Vista.

The software giant has been in  the midst of disputes demanding million since very long.

Last week, a US federal  court ordered Microsoft to stop selling some versions of its widely used Word software in the US in two months, ruling in favour of a small Canadian firm, i4i Ltd. that accused the software giant of violating its patents (See: Microsoft barred from selling Word in the US; fined $290 million for patent violation).