Alcatel Suit Raises Doubts Over Microsoft Partnership

摘要

Legal action brought by French technology group Alcatel against Microsoft Corporation over alleged patent infringements has put a question mark over future collaboration in IPTV between the two companies. Since February 2005, Alcatel has been the exclusive reseller of Microsoft's proprietary IPTV Edition technology, which has been adopted by leading telecommunications operators including Deutsche Telekom and BT. Last month, Alcatel filed two complaints against Microsoft in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas covering seven patents to which it lays claim, including three that deal with the processing of digital video.