Bonum Certa Men Certa

Google's CEO Publicly Complains About Microsoft's Legal Attacks on Android/Linux

Larry Page in the European Parliament



Summary: Amid Google's revelations about Microsoft funding for anti-Google lobbyists and trolls (who primarily use patent lawsuits and disinformation), the CEO too is complaining

MICROSOFT'S attacks on Linux have become more complicated and difficult to track. Some months ago Google validated our claims by saying that Apple was helping Microsoft fight against Android. A few days ago Google's Matt Cutts showed that Microsoft Florian was in fact funded by Microsoft and in principle he is far from alone in it. There are many more examples, such as Edelman (the company too, by proxy). Then there are Microsoft patent trolls, such as Intellectual Ventures. It is getting hard not to see why Microsoft is detested, but at the same time it gets complicated to see the whole picture because Microsoft attacks from many directions at the same time. It's not about competition but about subversion, litigation, harassment, defamation, etc. That's Microsoft in a nutshell.



The software patents fans are cheering for Microsoft's sponsorship of Microsoft Florian while others roll their eyes. "#FRAND licensing means a private tax on standards. #FFII prefers #open standards," writes the FFII.

Following Microsoft's Quanta deal that puts a Microsoft tax on Kindle Fire (Amazon already pays Microsoft for the older Kindle), this racketeering strategy is still a subject of discussion and Google's CEO responds by explaining the impact on customers:

Google: Microsoft is Competing in Mobile by Harassing Customers



Google is continuing to grow its business even as the global economic recovery appears to be slowing down. Part of Google's growth and future optimism comes from the success of its Android mobile operating system and new efforts like Google+.

For the third quarter of 2011, Google reported revenues of $9.72 billion which is a 33 percent year-over-year gain. Google's own sites generated 69 percent of total revenues. Net Income was also on the rise, coming in at $2.73 billion up from $2.17 billion in 2010.

One of the key drivers for Google now and moving forward is its mobile strategy which is anchored by their Android operating system. During the company's earnings call, Google CEO Larry Page stressed that his company was very excited about Android and the continued growth of the Android partner ecosystem.

Page also addressed the issue of how Microsoft is going after Android vendors. Multiple Android vendors including HTC and Samsung have signed agreements with Microsoft for patent issues related to Android. Both HTC and Samsung also work with Microsoft for Windows Phones.

"Rather than seeing, for example, Microsoft compete in the marketplace with their own smartphones, they've really continued resorting to legal measures to hassle their own customers, right? So it seems kind of odd," Page said. "And we haven't seen the details of those total agreements, and I suspect that our partners are making good deals for themselves there."

Page added that Google has seen no signs that the attacks on Android have been successful. Google is also in the process of bolstering it own mobile patent portfolio with the pending acquisition of Motorola. Google announced its intention to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion in August.



Google did the right thing by mentioning customers. This is not just an attack on Google.

In a sane industry, the constitution would take effect and actually defend the customers' interests. But since the SCOTUS is deep in the mud with corporate interests covering its eyes [1, 2], we expect no such intervention to occur. In fact, there is this new video about how SCOTUS serves as a constitutional gateway (which is clearly shut). From C-SPAN:

Justices Breyer and Scalia testified on the role of judges in the American republic and democratic systems within the U.S. Question topics included the politicization of the judicial confirmation process...


The SCOTUS is not about justice and the courts are not about law. The constitution and various important acts like the RICO Act are mere relish when it's corporations (rich people) -- not people -- who run the nation. Did the October 15th protests make a change everyone can believe in? Is the two-party system listening to its people yet? Or just to its campaign's funding sources (plutocrats)? We shall see. A response will need to be issued to this petition.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

The Microsofters Have Just Shared Privileged Trial Data With Microsoft
There are serious ramifications for liability accountability as Microsoft salaries sponsor these SLAPPs
Trolls With LLM Slop Are Disrupting Communications About Mass Layoffs at IBM
LLM slop to drown out the signal
[Video] IBM Shakes Hands of Prince Mohammed bin Salman
handshake of loyalty
 
Slopwatch: Microsoft's Anti-Linux Propaganda and Cover-up, Slopfarms Clogging Up Google News
slop-tracking activities that observe googlebombing of "Linux"
AstroTurfing by IBM in thelayoff.com is Highly Risky (and Likely Outsourced)
Microsoft did this in Reddit (and got caught), so why won't IBM too?
Links 17/05/2025: Stabber of Salman Rushdie Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/05/2025: Happier on Gemini and Manipulating Reddit
Links for the day
ComEd and Microsoft: A Mess of Spaghetti Held Together By Circus Clowns
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 16, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, May 16, 2025
Links 16/05/2025: Microsoft Sacks Pregnant Women, People Fired on Their Birthday; Adobe Censorship Failing
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: "Repairing Our Way out of Commodity Fetishism" and Pre-librebooted Computers
Links for the day
The SLAPPs From Microsofters Distract From Serious Copyright Infringement by Microsoft and Apparent Business Crimes
Aside from other issues, such as strangling women
Enshittification is Everywhere: You Pay More, the Services Get Worse
"Enshittification" is a term coined by an online friend; I increasingly use this term to describe what's happening even outside the realm of technology (which it was adopted to describe)
Microsoft Reduces Office Space Ahead of More Waves of Mass Layoffs
"The Gerstnerisation of Microsoft"
Anti-Linux FUD Produced by Microsoft LLMs to Blame "Linux" for Microsoft's Own Failures
We call out some of the worst culprits
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: Hoking GPS, Grabovac, and Tanana
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 15, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, May 15, 2025
Microsoft WARN Notices Proliferate in the United States
From what we've seen, this wave was more than 3% (a lot more) and the next wave/s will be even bigger (possible as imminent as weeks from now), based on insider leaks
Links 15/05/2025: Google Betrays Publishers Again, Openwashing by Sysdig
Links for the day
Richard Stallman Still Respected by Many in the Libre Graphics Community
Richard Stallman and Professor Moglen never harmed anyone
If You Read Techrights, Then You Probably Want to Read Tux Machines as Well
That site is more active than this one
Gemini Links 15/05/2025: Forced Music in Publicly Accessible Space and ~silv is Online
Links for the day
Links 15/05/2025: KOSA Censorship (USA Becomes More Like KSA) and More National Cuts
Links for the day
Bing Might Shut Down - Just Like Skype Did - Some Time in the Coming Months/Years (Parts of It Already Shut Down)
they try to bring the losses under control
Your Real Ally Would Not Defend the Company of SLAPP and Strangling of Women
who's left to tell us what's true?
Breakdown of Microsoft Layoffs Shows It's About Cost, Not Performance or Hype (Like "AI")
MSN (Microsoft) reposted this with some unnecessary spin
The Lawyers Working for the Serial Strangler From Microsoft on SLAPPing Techrights Have Apparently Lost Their Voice
the moment we mentioned that their media lawyer is leaving they went all quiet in social control media
At IBM, Relocation Can be a Trick or a Trap (IBM Gets Rid of Staff Under the Guise of "Relo")
IBM is not being honest with employees
Microsoft Rumours: This Week's Scale of Layoffs "Higher Than Reported" and More Coming Soon ("A Lot More Severe" Than May's)
The "3%" figure is false
Slopwatch: Sloppy Brian, Brittany Slop, and General Observations
Creative people don't need slop; there's just nothing good about it, slop appeals to lazy people careless about quality
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Beyond Mass Layoffs at Microsoft: Entire Units Shut Down for Good
And it's far from over
Links 15/05/2025: Crikvenica, Analog Computer, and Slop 'Hallucinations'
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, May 14, 2025