Microsoft Expands IP Lawsuit Protections

On Thursday, Microsoft announced it would increase the protections against intellectual property lawsuits currently offered to manufacturers that build devices to run on Windows, InformationWeek reports.

The move is, in part, a product of the ongoing patent infringement lawsuit filed against Research In Motion, the maker of the popular BlackBerry handheld.  For more on the BlackBerry suit, check out BlackBerry on the Edge.

Microsoft said it has lifted caps off the legal fees it will reimburse to companies who are sued for infringement due to licensing Microsoft code, InformationWeek reports. The amount Microsoft would reimburse in the past was based on the quantity of the licensee’s business. 

“In the past, we were conservative,” David Kaefer, Microsoft’s director of business development for IP and licensing, told InformationWeek.  “[I]f a partner is sued [now], we’re picking up the full defense cost tab.”

Last summer, the company made a similar move when it lifted caps on legal fees it would repay to PC producers that were sued as a result of using Microsoft Software, InformationWeek reports.

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