Companies competing in mobile device management are not likely to engage each other in the same fights over intellectual property rights as those battling over mobile push email, according to two major players in the area.
Like push email MDM is a growth area, in which companies are individually licensing patents allowing operators to remotely manage handsets. But Rakesh Kushwaha, mFormation’s CTO and Co-founder said that he didn’t think there would be the same scrabble for the IPR high ground.
mFormation has just had a patent granted which confirms 48 claims it has over the management of devices. But Kushawa said that although “from our perspective we want our technologies and products to be protected”, he didn’t think there were likely to be any big disputes over IPR in the future.
Although most of the companies in the area are working in line with the OMA DM standard, Kushwaha pointed out that companies have differring areas of strength.
Another MDM player echoed that view.
“Our IP data goes back pretty far,” Bitphone’s product marketing head, told Mobile Europe, “We have multiple patents but we’ve not covered everything. We’re very strong in certain areas, such as of FOTA and diagnostics.
“The thing with IP is you don’t know if you have something until it has been tried and tested,” he said.