Google claims Microsoft revealed confidential source code

Google vs Microsoft

Google has accused Microsoft of revealing confidential source code.The online search giant has asked the International Trade Commission (ITC) to sanction Microsoft over a case involving Motorola. Microsoft filed a complaint against Motorola in October alleging that the handset maker had infringed nine patents when creating handsets powered by Google’s Android operating system. The two companies have been trading complaints ever since. PaidContent reports that Microsoft acquired access to Google’s “highly confidential source code” via a subpoena. Microsoft sent Google the subpoena in April requesting the source code. Microsoft handed the data to an expert witness, something that Google claims was not part of the original order. It’s not immediately clear whether the source code is for Android or another part of Google’s software offerings.
The news comes after a public Android patent spat between Microsoft and Google. Google claimed last week that Apple and Microsoft had “jumped into bed together” to wager a patent war against Android. The search giant’s chief legal officer, David Drummond highlighted Microsoft’s recent purchase of Novell’s old patents in part of a group known as CPTN. Microsoft fired back with messages on Twitter and after a brief exchange the pair of companies ceased arguing. Google is currently under investigation in Europe after Microsoft filed an antitrust complaint against the company. The complaint is part of an ongoing investigation in the EU into whether Google has violated European competition law. Microsoft’s complaints include the restriction of advertisers, YouTube technical measures to hinder competing search engines and discrimination against would-be competitors by making it more costly for them to attain prominent placement for their advertisements.