'Google must now act constructively and try to work out amicable arrangements with those right holders. The suits 'are dark clouds over Android,' said Florian Mueller, who founded the NoSoftwarePatents campaign in Europe. 'Our action today merely seeks to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights infringed by Android devices and judging by the recent actions by Apple and Oracle, we are not alone in this respect,' Gutierrez wrote. Microsoft even referred to those cases in its blog post about the suit. Apple has sued HTC over its Android phone, and Oracle has sued Google over the way it handles Java in Android.

Microsoft isn't the only company posing a threat to Android. At the time, Microsoft said it was in discussions with other phone makers using Android. The companies did not disclose what kinds of technologies the patents covered. Earlier this year, HTC announced it had licensed Microsoft patents relevant to its Android phones. Microsoft has 'a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year in bringing innovative software products and services to market,' the company said. Microsoft said it was acting to protect its intellectual property investments, and noted that Nokia and other vendors have also filed lawsuits over smartphone technologies. 'That is compelling Microsoft to say, 'How do we combat this? We'll make it costly and risky to people who are considering going with Android.'' 'That scares the traditional players who have invested in this market for years,' Hazelton said. Gartner expects Android to become the second-largest smartphone platform by 2012, behind only Symbian. Look at the charts: Android's momentum is killer.'

'They're trying to slow down Android,' said Jack Gold, an analyst with J. Microsoft may have other motives for filing the lawsuit beyond potential revenue. Motorola, which is about to split up into several companies, has been struggling over the past few years. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars,' he said. Motorola may have been unwilling to license ActiveSync because it can be expensive, Hazelton said.

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