BTG files patent lawsuits against Apple, Microsoft

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040720/tech_btg_lawsuit_1.html

Reuters
BTG files patent lawsuits against Apple, Microsoft
Tuesday July 20, 3:30 pm ET 



SAN FRANCISCO, July 20 (Reuters) - London intellectual property licensing
company BTG International Inc. has sued Apple Computer Inc. (NasdaqNM:AAPL
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aapl>  - News
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=aapl> ) and Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=msft>  - News
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=msft> ) alleging infringement of software
technology patents, the company said on Tuesday.
 
BTG International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BTG Plc (London:BGC.L
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=bgc.l>  - News
<http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=bgc.l> ). 

BTG, along with Teleshuttle Corp. and Teleshuttle Technologies LLC, filed
two lawsuits in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. 


One suit against Apple and Microsoft alleges infringement on Teleshuttle
patents covering Web-enabled software update technologies, which are
important in helping protect computer users from viruses and other Internet
attacks. Both Apple and Microsoft incorporate automatic software update
technology into Microsoft's Windows and Apple's OS X operating systems. 


A second, separate, suit alleges infringement of Teleshuttle Technologies'
patents by Microsoft's active desktop and offline browsing technologies, BTG
said. 


BTG said the technologies in question are covered by patents held by
inventor Richard Reisman, president and founder of Teleshuttle Corp. He
began his association with BTG in 1998, BTG said in a statement. 


Representatives from Apple and Microsoft did not immediately return
telephone calls seeking comment. 


BTG said the lawsuits are asking for unspecified damages for what it called
past infringing activity and an injunction against future use of the
technology. 


The lawsuits come after what BTG said were delays in entering into a
licensing agreement with BTG on "commercially reasonable terms."