Microsoft is mired in patent disputes, with hundreds of millions in damages, and the tech giants are fighting for their intellectual property rights.
A protracted patent war has finally settled, but it is not over forever. Microsoft has been hit hard in a patent dispute with Canadian company IPA, and has been awarded a whopping $242 million in damages. This has undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the tech giant, and has also triggered widespread concern and reflection on intellectual property protection in the industry.
The origins of the case date back to 2018, when IPA accused Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant of infringing a series of patents it owned related to personal digital assistants and voice data navigation. The two sides have been entangled in the legal battleground for many years, and finally the case focused on one of the IPA's core patents.
After a heated court debate, a federal jury in Delaware ruled on May 10 that Microsoft had indeed infringed the IPA's patent rights and that it should pay up to $242 million in damages. The verdict undoubtedly shocked Microsoft, and a spokesperson for the company immediately said it was convinced that it had not infringed IPA's patents and would appeal the verdict.
The patents in the hands of the IPA originally belonged to Siri Inc, a subsidiary of SRI International, a well-known artificial intelligence company. The latter developed the voice assistant Siri, which was acquired by Apple in 2010, and Siri technology was also used in Apple's voice assistant of the same name. IPA, on the other hand, is a Wi-LAN subsidiary jointly owned by Quarterhill, a Canadian company, and two investment firms, which purchased the patent in question from Siri Inc.
Previously, IPA had sued Google and Amazon over the same batch of patents. Among them, Amazon won the case in 2021, while Google's case is still ongoing. This batch of patents has become the "magic weapon" of IPA companies, which spare no effort to launch a "patent war" against the tech giants.
The delay in the case has also sparked wider repercussions. For Microsoft, in addition to the need to pay a high amount of compensation, the technical strength of the Cortana voice assistant has also been questioned. As one of the company's masterpieces, Cortana had high hopes to become the leader of the new generation of voice assistants after Siri. However, the defeat of this lawsuit has undoubtedly brought a heavy blow to it, and its future development prospects have been clouded.
The entire field of speech recognition technology is also implicated. The patents in the hands of the IPA originally belonged to Siri Inc., a subsidiary of SRI International, whose voice assistant technology was acquired by Apple and applied to Siri. This means that Apple's Siri assistant may also have a similar patent risk.
Industry insiders pointed out that the development of speech recognition technology has formed a rather complex patent network. In order to protect their interests, major technology companies have applied for patents in this area on a large scale, resulting in a high degree of fragmentation of patent rights. Once a dispute arises, it is very easy to trigger a chain reaction.
"This is by no means a single case, but a general problem across the industry. An industry insider, who asked not to be named, said, "There may be more similar lawsuits in the future, and all parties may be involved." ＂
In the face of such a dilemma, technology companies are also actively looking for ways to deal with it. Patent unions became a common practice. Multiple companies jointly fund the purchase of patents and make them available for use by consortium members, thereby reducing the risk of being sued.
This approach has also been met with some criticism. There is a view that patent unions are actually manipulating the market and distorting the original intent of the patent system. They do not really solve the problem, but instead exacerbate the confrontation and contradictions within the industry.
The development of speech recognition technology is inseparable from the protection of intellectual property rights, but excessive patent battles will also hinder industry innovation. How to find a balance between the two has become a major problem in front of all aspects.
Some experts suggested that improving the existing patent examination system was a key part. "A lot of the disputes stem from the low quality and broad scope of the patents. "If these issues can be resolved at the review stage, you will naturally avoid trouble afterwards." ＂
For example, he said that when examining a patent, the applicant could be required to make a more detailed description of the technical solution and clarify the specific boundaries of the patent. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen the query of existing technologies to prevent duplicate authorizations.
"This will undoubtedly increase the workload of patent examination, but in the long run, it will create conditions for the healthy development of the industry. The expert added.
Others argue that a new type of dispute resolution mechanism should be established. At present, most patent disputes are resolved through court litigation, which is a lengthy and costly process. If a low-cost and high-efficiency mediation channel can be established, it will help to resolve conflicts.
"This requires strong support from the relevant authorities, as well as the involvement of independent third-party institutions. "Only by ensuring impartiality will the parties be convinced." ＂
In the long term, there is also a need to strengthen public education on IP. Only by making more people aware of and valuing intellectual property rights can we create a benign environment for innovation.
"It's not just about the interests of the business, it's also about the scientific and technological strength of a country. The lawyer said, "We should guide the whole society to attach importance to intellectual property rights and jointly contribute to scientific and technological innovation." ＂