Motorola and Research In Motion trade jabs

MARSHALL, Texas, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Canadian manufacturer Research In Motion Ltd. and Illinois company Motorola have filed suits, accusing each other of patent violations.

Motorola filed suit Saturday alleging Research In Motion, the third largest maker of hand-held phones behind Motorola and Nokia, violated seven of its U.S. patents. One violation, the company contends, aims at the system Research In Motion's popular hand-held BlackBerry uses to retrieve e-mail, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Research In Motion filed a countersuit in U.S. District Court in Marshall, Texas, it was reported Tuesday. The Canadian company claims Motorola has attempted to monopolize the industry by charging by charging exorbitant licensing fees.

Research In Motion also claims that Motorola violated a patent that allows for its "keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs," the report said.