Good sues AirWatch, MobileIron for patent infringement

Mobile Device Management provider Good Technology has filed suit against two competitors, MobileIron and AirWatch, for patent infringement in a Californian federal court.

Good Technology issued a statement earlier today, describing the lawsuits as the "next front of smartphone wars".

The company will not disclose how much in monetary damages it is seeking from its two competitors.

Speaking to iTnews from Sydney, Good Technology’s senior vice president of global sales Brian Carr said the company came to feel its patents had been infringed upon whilst discussing competitive solutions with customers.

He called the alleged infringements “blatant” and rejected any assertion Good Technology may be labelled a "patent troll."

“Good Technology has been innovating since 1996 and we have been granted 75 patents since then,” Carr said. “We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development.”

AirWatch customers in Australia include the Victorian Department of Human Services, Credit Union Australia, St Johns Ambulance, the WA Government and global giants such as United Airlines. 

MobileIron solutons are white-labelled by telco giant Optus, and its global customer base includes Netgear and law firm Norton Rose.

Good Technology's customers in Australia and New Zealand include Beca, Bupa, Corrs Westgarth Chambers and CSC.

The US patents at the heart of the dispute are as follows:

• 6151606 entitled "System and Method for Using a Workspace Data Manager to Access, Manipulate and Synchronize Network Data" granted in 1998;
• 8012219 entitled “System and Method for Preventing Access to Data on a Compromised Remote Device” granted in August 2002;
• 7970386  entitled “System and Method for Monitoring and Maintaining a Wireless Device” granted in June 2005; and:
• 7702322 entitled “Method and System for Distributing and Updating Software in Wireless Devices”, granted in February 2006.