Rockstar consortium which includes BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has finally agreed to settle a lawsuit with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). However, no details of the agreement were disclosed due to ongoing disputes between Google Inc. and others such as HTC and Samsung.
After Google failed to succeed during Nortel’s auction, it filed law suits accusing Rockstar of mounting a hostile campaign against Android through ‘bogus’ patents bought from bankrupt Nortel. Rockstar paid $4.5 billion to acquire Nortel as it held high quality patents and intellectual property on the Android platform.
Rockstar consortium consists of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Ericsson (ADR) (NASDAQ:ERIC), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE), besides Blackberry. It currently operates as an independent company establishing licensing agreements for the Nortel patents it currently owns.
Seven patents infringed, says Rockstar
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) and the rest of the Rockstar consortium have worked on license agreements with more than 100 companies for the use of Nortel patents in wireless networks, telecom switches, PCs, internet routers as well as search and social networking.
In their ongoing lawsuit against HTC, Samsung and others, Rockstar alleges violation of seven Nortel patents that are in the domain of ‘search technology’ and are used in Google’s advertising platform for mobiles.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) and Rockstar consortium have in the pending case against HTC, Samsung and others sough 45 days and signed terms of settlement: “settles, in principle, all matters in controversy between the parties.”
The proposed extension of the deadline has not been disputed by Google Inc. thus far, though the 45 period is unusual for such terms. However, the complexities due to the, “the number of additional parties whose claims are concurrently being resolved,” is upheld by a Texas court.
Rockstar is yet to resolve its dispute with another technology giant, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), via law suits against several of Cisco’s customers.
