MacroSolve, a US-based mobile technology player, is reported to be targeting Android and iOS app developers with a patent infringement suit, having already launched action against ten companies. According to The Guardian, the MacroSolve patent is called “System and Method for Data Management,” and was granted in October 2010 following an August 2003 filing. This details the collection of data by apps and its transmission to a central server, and appears to have originally been aimed at questionnaire data collected on handheld computers which was then sent to a central location for processing. The action comes shortly after another patent holder, Lodsys, began action against iOS developers using in-app billing, alleging infringements of patents dating back to the late 1990s (see separate report).

The Guardian said that MacroSolve has chosen to launch its actions in the Texas Eastern District, which has a reputation for quickly resolving cases in the favour of the plaintiff. It was not stated what the company is looking for in terms of damages, although in the Lodsys case the company is looking for a per-transaction royalty. While there is the possibility that developers could choose to challenge MacroSolve’s assertions, the fact that developers are frequently small – and cash-poor – businesses means that this is somewhat less likely. Apple is believed to be investigating the Lodsys case on behalf of its partners, but it is not clear if it (or Google) will do the same with MacroSolve.

According to the MacroSolve website, the company offers mobile business apps through its Anywhere Mobile Solutions and Illume Mobile divisions, as well as “its core patented technology to companies across the mobile ecosystem.” It said it has a 14-year operating history and “long-standing relationships with leaders in the mobile space including device companies such as Apple, Sprint, Intermec, AT&T, RIM/BlackBerry, Motorola, Microsoft and Palm.”

The ten developers named by MacroSolve in its current actions are: Canvas Solutions, GeoAge, Kony Solutions, Widget Press, Pogo Corporation, SWD Interactive, Blue Shoe Mobile Solutions, Brazos Technology Corporation, On The Spot Systems, and Formstack.