Microsoft Fires Back at Google’s ‘Bogus Patents’ Claim

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There’s a bunch of suited-up, nerdy middle-age dudes going at it again. I mean, the guys from Google and Microsoft.

Google published a blog post yesterday, basically accusing Apple, Oracle and Microsoft of waging a vicious campaign against Android using “bogus patents.” The post specifically mentions litigation practices and the purchase of Nortel’s patent portfolio. David Drummond, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Google explicitly says:

“Android is on fire. More than 550,000 Android devices are activated every day, through a network of 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers. Android and other platforms are competing hard against each other, and that’s yielding cool new devices and amazing mobile apps for consumers.

But Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.”

Enter Frank Shaw, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Microsoft. His tweet revealed that Google was at one point involved with Microsoft in a possible joint bid for the Nortel patents, later confirmed by other sources. Is that your hand caught in the cookie jar, Google?

Oopsie daisies.

And Microsoft didn’t even have to use the Gmail Man this time.

MORE: WATCH: Microsoft Spoofs Google with the ‘Gmail Man’

[via Google and Frank Shaw]

Erica Ho is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.