A French smart card maker and digital technology company known as Gemalto has filed a lawsuit against Google in the Eastern District of Texas alleging patent infringement with Google’s Dalvik virtual machine.  Google uses Dalvik in its Android cell phone model to virtualize Java, which anables Java applications to run on resource-constrained devices such as cell phones.  Gemalto claims that the Dalvik technology infringes on technology it developed in the 1990’s.  A number of other big name cell phone companies have been named in the lawsuit as well including HTC Corp., Motorola Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Google’s Android is currently the most popular operating system for cell phones in the U.S. and has drawn a number of other lawsuits.  The software has recently moved ahead of Research in Motion’s Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone in popularity according to studies.  The smart phone market as a whole has seen a drastic increase in legal disputes recently, as handset makers argue over who deserves compensation for new technology that goes into the devices.

As the smart phone market continues to output newer and more sophisticated devices, the number of legal disputes is not likely to decrease.  Many of these companies see patents in technology as the only way to protect their investments.  Without enforcement of patent rights, smart phone giants like Google will not be able to reap the benefits of sophisticated technology without putting in the time and money necessary to develop such innovations.

For more on this story see “Gemalto files Android patent claim in U.S.” by Richard Wilson at http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2010/10/25/49738/gemalto-files-android-patent-claim-in-us.htm.

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