SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (AP) — Electronics maker Motorola Solutions Inc. filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday asking a court to throw out several patent infringement claims against its customers.
Motorola, which is half the former Motorola Inc., is seeking a quick end to the earlier lawsuits so they don't bog down the company in legal fees.
Motorola said in its lawsuit that Round Rock Research LLC sued Motorola's customers late last year, claiming the customers were violating its patents for radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology.
Round Rock Research, whose website describes it as a patent licensing company, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday. According to the website, Round Rock's portfolio includes several thousand patents and pending applications throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Several of the companies Round Rock sued for infringing on its RFID patents turned to Motorola Solutions for legal protection, according to Wednesday's lawsuit. Motorola Solutions said it manufactured some of the RFID equipment, and the companies felt it should help them.
Motorola said its products don't violate Round Rock patents. With the complaint it filed in Delaware federal court, Motorola is seeking a court declaration to that effect.
The old Motorola Inc. split in January 2011. Motorola Solutions makes police radios, bar-code scanners and other equipment, and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. makes cellphones and cable TV boxes. Google Inc. is in the process of taking over Motorola Mobility in a $12.5 billion deal that's been cleared by U.S. and European regulators.
Shares of Motorola Solutions, which had revenue of $8.2 billion last year, rose a penny Wednesday to close at $50.50.