MICROSOFT GETS SUED OVER HOLOLENS PATENT

A Connecticut-based company claims Microsoft "willfully" ignored its holographic imaging patents. 

Microsofts HoloLens has hit a legal speed bump. The mixed-reality device, which is gaining traction with businesses, is at the centre of a patent infringement lawsuit filed by HoloTouch. The firm alleges that HoloLens infringes on two of its patents – dating back over a decade – relating to its holographic imaging tech. HoloTouch is now seeking a jury trial and triple damages (although a specific amount has not been outlined) claiming Microsoft knew about the patented technology for years. 

In the company's filing, HoloTouch says it first approached Microsoft for a partnership in 2006, but never got a response. The tech giant then, allegedly filed its own patent in 2013, citing HoloTouch's patent as a "prior art", showing that it was aware of them. HoloTouch says it again reached out to Microsoft in 2015, and then in 2016, to discuss a licensing agreement for the patents, with no success.

We've seen the kind of financial damage patent holders can do to big firms in their quest to for cash. And, it sounds like HoloTouch is about to go on the warpath. The company claims that others are also using its tech, which lets users interact with machines using holographic images. Plus, its patents go beyond the US to encompass Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UK.

Keep an eye out for an update on the story!