Microsoft accuses Lucent of violating patents in countersuit

Microsoft has filed a countersuit against IT firm Lucent, accusing the company of infringing on its patent rights and denying claims that Lucent's proprietary technology is used in the Xbox 360.

Lucent's legal battle began back in 2003, when the company sued Gateway and Dell over patented video decoding technology. Microsoft stepped in to back Dell and Gateway up, and was granted a summary judgement on the grounds that there was a typographical error in the patent.

However, Lucent has since had the error amended, and filed suit against Microsoft in March - alleging that the technology in the Xbox 360 used for decoding MPEG-2 files infringes on the patent. Lucent requested a trial and damages, but did not attempt to gain an injunction to prevent the console from being sold.

In its countersuit, filed earlier this week, Microsoft claims that two of Lucent's patents are invalid. Lucent is also accused of infringing on Microsoft's own patents, and has been slammed by Microsoft's Tom Burt for opting to sue rather than take part in "meaningful license negotiations."

Lucent could still ask for an injunction against Xbox 360 sales, but the company has yet to comment on Microsoft's countersuit.