AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- Dutch navigations solutions company TomTom NV ( TOM2.AE) said Thursday it rejects all Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) claims that it is infringing on eight of its patents.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Wednesday that it filed patent-infringement claims in a federal court for the Western District of Washington in the U.S., and with the International Trade Commission, against TomTom, Europe's largest maker of car-navigation devices.
TomTom spokesperson Taco Titulare told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday that TomTom rejects the Microsoft claims and that the firm will "vigorous defend" itself, without elaborating.
In a complaint filed in U.S. court, Microsoft alleges it first told TomTom in June 2008 that it was infringing on eight of its patents. Microsoft is seeking unspecified damages and a permanent injunction, but also said in a statement that it "remains open to quickly resolving this situation with them [TomTom] through an [intellectual-property] licensing agreement."
Earlier this week, TomTom reported a EUR989 million fourth-quarter loss, and warned that it could breach its debt covenants. The bottom line was hit by lower sales in both the U.S. and Europe, TomTom's main markets, but also by a EUR1.1 billion impairment charge related to the company's 2007 acquisition of digital map maker Tele Atlas.
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