The Android IP Project (http://androidip.org) outlines the the legal challenges to the open source Android platform and its partners such as handset manufacturers and carriers. Android is the focus due to its prominent position in the technology world. Its dominance of the smartphone market owes a lot to the value delivered to partners — it’s free and has a lot of features. However, those very aspects and its history of development have made Android the focal point of numerous intellectual property disputes. About 40 different lawsuits have been filed against Google and its partners for various intellectual property issues relating to the Android. Many of these lawsuits stem from non-practicing entities (aka patent trolls), but several of these lawsuits come from large competitors. How the court rules on these cases will drastically shape the development of mobile technologies.
Check out AndroidIP.org for more information on Android’s copyright issues, trademark issues, and patent issues. You can also view a full size version of the lawsuit map. Follow @androidip on Twitter for updates on pending lawsuits too. Everyone is welcome to contribute.
Yale Law Tech 
Cool and depressing at the same time.
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