Does Microsoft Have a Mobile Surprise Up Its Sleeve?
Corporate attorneys almost never comment on suits involving competitors. And yet, Microsoft (MSFT) general counsel Brad Smith did just that, discussing Apple's (AAPL) suit against HTC. Seattle Times columnist Brier Dudley thought it was evidence of stronger ties between Microsoft and Apple. Me? No way. Microsoft has something up its sleeve -- something legal -- and it's enjoying the quiet before the storm.
For Microsoft to make any comment at all seems senseless. Apple is both a fierce competitor and a business partner, given that some Microsoft has software running on the Mac and the iPhone. HTC is a business partner building smartphones that use Windows Mobile and, presumably, Windows Phone 7. Apple is potentially going after other companies that use multitouch interfaces, and that would include Microsoft. There is no way that a competent general counsel -- and Smith is clearly one -- steps into that particular dog pile. At least, not when there is something to lose. And yet, Smith made some extensive remarks:
Smith welcomed Apple's lawsuit as the opening salvo in a bigger effort to sort out who owns the technology used in smartphones and start collecting a standard set of royalties. License holders have been talking about this behind the scenes for some time, and Apple brought it out in the open, he said.It sounds like one of two things is happening. One possibility is that Microsoft, which has an arsenal of patents, has already cut deals with Apple, particularly as it also has a multitouch patent application that predates Apple's in the works. A mutual non-aggression pact would let each move along comfortably. Microsoft might even watch Apple go after Google and enjoy the view.
The other possibility is that Microsoft has a series of nasty surprises for almost anyone trying to push it or its partners out of the mobile space, and that the current attitude is smoke to obscure real intentions. Whatever the case, though, I would not expect Microsoft and Apple to sit down and sing Kumbaya.
Image: RGBStock.com user lusi, site standard license.