Google is facing another lawsuit over whether or not its Android mobile OS infringes on existing patents and intellectual property, with British Telecom having filed a suit in Delaware that claims ownership of six patents relating to not just Android, but also Gmail, Google Maps and more.
BT claims that a number of Google products are infringing on their technology, including not just Android, but also AdWords, Gmail, Google+, Google Docs and Google Maps among others. According to the filing, “Google has derived and will continue to derive substantial value from…products and services that incorporate BT’s patented technologies.”
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A BT spokesperson told The Guardian that “The patents in question relate to technologies which underpin location-based services, navigation and guidance information and personalized access to services and content. BT’s constant investment in innovation has seen it develop a large portfolio of patents which are valuable corporate assets.” If successful, Google may be forced to either remove said technology or, more likely, pay BT royalties for its use in every venue they offer–a potentially costly problem for the company.
Google, of course, has responded with a statement that they “believe these claims are without merit, and…will defend vigorously against them.” This lawsuit marks the sixth patent-infringement case the company is facing about Android, with BT joining such luminaries as Apple, Oracle and Microsoft. It seems that success really does have many parents, after all.
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Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.