Microsoft has asked EU antitrust regulators to intervene in a patent dispute with Google and Motorola Mobility as it steps up its battle against the internet search giant.
Microsoft complained that Motrola Mobility was trying to block its products by charging too much for using its patents in Microsoft products.
The complaint came a week after the European Commission and the US justice department approved Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
"Earlier today, Microsoft filed a formal competition law complaint with the European Commission against Motorola Mobility and Google," Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a blog post.
"We have taken this step because Motorola is attempting to block sales of Windows PCs, our Xbox game console and other products," he added.
Mr Heiner had initially named Motorola Mobility in the blog post but in an update said the complaint also included Google.
A spokeswoman for competition affairs at the EU Commission, said the regulator had received the complaint and will examine it.
Apple has also complained to the EU Commission about Motorola Mobility's patent charges, Motorola Mobility said in a regulatory filing last week.
Mr Heiner said Motorola had filed lawsuits in the United States and in Europe demanding Microsoft take its products off the market, or else remove their standards-based ability to play video and connect wirelessly.
"The only basis for these actions is that these products implement industry standards on which Motorola claims patents," he said. "Motorola is on a path to use standard essential patents to kill video on the web, and Google, as its new owner, does not seem to be willing to change course."
Microsoft said that Motorola asked it to pay a royalty of $22.50 for a laptop computer worth $1,000 for its use of 50 Motorola patents that apply to a video technology standard.
It said that this compares to a 2 cent royalty charged by a group of 29 companies that offer the use of more than 2,300 patents for products following the same video standard.
Google declined to comment.
Reuters
