Skyhook Sues Google Over Android Geolocation Monopoly Claims

Lawsuits aren’t uncommon when it comes to technology and now Skyhook has sued Google for allegedly abusing its control over Android to exclude competitors for geolocation services. The lawsuit claims that Google prevented Android phone makers from using Skyhook’s positioning technology, such as its Wi-Fi triangulation, and instead required them to use Google’s own solution. Motorola is reported to have been forced to pull Skyhook from its device in order to pass Google’s compliance tests and weren’t given the option of tuning the Skyhook software in order to meet the guidelines. A second lawsuit was also filed, accusing Google of violating four Skyhook patents, and it even goes so far as to ask for a permanent ban on Google’s Wi-Fi triangulation routines. Regardless of what the outcome of this situation may be, you can probably guess that the process is going to be an ugly one.