Tsera Sues Microsoft

A Texas-based company, Tsera LLC, has filed a lawsuit in a US district court accusing Microsoft and twenty other companies of violating its patent right on touchpad technology. Tsera LLC alleged that it has the patent right with US patent number 6,639,584 called Methods and Apparatus for Controlling a Portable Electronic Device using Touchpad dated 2003.

Aside Microsoft, other companies accused of infringing on the patent right are Apple, LG Electronics, Philip Electronics, River Inc, and a host of others. Apple is in the suit filed by Tsera LLC for major patent right infringement for its portable sensitive surface devices – iPods. Other defendants in the suit are for standard patent right infringement. LG make the list for its lovely and sleeker looking Chocolate VX8500 cellular phone. Microsoft went against the law, according to the lawsuit with the Zune digital media player.

Tsera LLC is seeking for greater damage against Apple for willfully violating the patent right even when the infringement was brought to its notice couple of years back. No doubt, Apple has been the greatest beneficiary of this technology in terms of iPod sales.

If all went well with the lawsuit, this little known Texas-based company may be smiling to the bank at the end of the legal battle. What a 'semi-active way' to make big money!

Meanwhile, none of the defendants in the suit has publicly denied the claim. However, a vital question still remains unanswered is, why wait all these years?