Microsoft claims patents infinged by Motorola Android phones

The patent war has just heated up – with Microsoft shooting the latest round of barbed attacks, claiming that Android-powered smartphones by Motorola have infringed on Microsoft’s own patents and inventions. A trial that started today was held before the International Trade Commission in Washington, where Microsoft accused Motorola Mobility of infringing seven of its patents – and needless to say, this has resulted in a request to stop imports of selected Motorola handsets.

Seems to sound extremely familiar, and with Google recently purchasing Motorola Mobility in an effort to boost their patent portfolio, this might seem to be another blow to the acquisition if things start to turn south for the Internet search giant. Still, court cases take an extremely long time to play out most of the time (there are exceptions to the rule, of course), so it would be interesting to see how Google argues the case for Motorola Mobility.