• Tech Crunch, Tuesday, March 22, 2011 10:14 AM

Waging what some are calling a frivolous proxy war against Google and its Android mobile operating system, Microsoft is suing Barnes and Noble -- claiming that Android-powered Nook devices infringe on Microsoft patents. Regarding the move, TechCrunch's headline says it all: "Drunk On Licensing Fees And Patents, Microsoft Has Become A Joke." Put another way, "It's all a bunch of bullshit."

"After reading the Microsoft blog post with examples of the alleged patent infringement ... you'd think that Microsoft built the leading mobile user interface and should be the king of all things mobile," GigaOm mocks. "The reality is that Windows Mobile hasn't been able to compete with iOS nor Android." "The message Microsoft is sending here is clear," writes Fortune. "‘We've got no other way to fight Android but to litigate, no matter how silly the patents sound.'"

The complaint also names Nook manufacturers Foxconn and Inventec, and reveals that HTC signed a licensing deal with Microsoft to avoid a similar lawsuit. "It is interesting that Microsoft never challenges Google directly for the alleged patent infringement by its Android OS, but instead goes after the vendors that rely on it," PCWorld's Tony Bradley points out. "There may be some legal intricacy I am not aware of that makes this strategy more practical. At face value, though, it seems like Microsoft is going after Google by proxy by challenging peripheral companies that lack the financial and legal might of Google."

For its part, a Google spokesman tells CNet: "Sweeping software patent claims like Microsoft's threaten innovation. While we are not a party to this lawsuit, we stand behind the Android platform and the partners who have helped us to develop it."

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