Google’s Motorola Mobility Unit Sues Apple Again Over Seven Patents

Today, Bloomberg reports that Google’s Motorola Mobility unit has filed a new case against Apple with the International Trade Commission (ITC). In the claim, Google asserts that seven of Motorola’s patents have been infringed by the Cupertino-based company.

The patents Google is claiming in the case include location-based reminders, email notification, and video players, oddly enough. The suit itself seeks a ban on US imports of devices like the iPhone and iPad as well as Mac computers, all of which are manufactured out of the US, in China.

“We would like to settle these patent matters,” said Motorola Mobility in a statement. but Apple’s unwillingness to work out a license leaves us little choice but to defend ourselves and our engineers’ innovations.”

Is this another salvo in the war between Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s long-standing unhappiness with it? This is the second complaint that Motorola Mobility has filed with the International Trade Commission, the first of which should be coming to a close on August 24th. This is interesting timing, of course, to bring a second, similar claim.

In a market that now accounts for $219 billion dollars in the last year alone, the stakes are high. While all eyes are on Apple vs Samsung in Northern California lately, the battle is being waged on many fronts, including at the ITC.