Big corporations like Apple, Google and Microsoft may find themselves on occasion the target of lawsuits over alleged patent infringements, and this latest lawsuit involves those three companies along with a bunch of other companies, some of which you might be familiar with. A small firm by the name of Potter Voice is currently suing these companies over alleged patent infringement pertaining to natural-language voice control of a computer. This essentially includes apps such as Apple’s Siri and Google Voice Commands.
The lawsuit has also named other companies such as Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Sony, LG, Motorola, ZTE, Huawei, Kyocera, Sharp and Pantech. The company is claiming that these companies have violated its patent which was issued to Jerry L. Potter back in 1998 and is described as, “Method and apparatus for controlling a digital computer using oral input.” The company also alleges that Apple, Microsoft and Sony were aware of the patent but yet infringed upon it anyway. They are currently seeking damages but while no specific amount has been determined, Potter has stated “but in no event less than a reasonable royalty.” Neither of the companies named in the lawsuit have made their official statement yet in response to this.