It left Microsoft virtually close-mouthed, when the Dutch navigation solutions provider TomTom NV declared on Friday that it has filed a countersuit against Microsoft in a U. S. court, for infringing three/four of TomTom's patents.

The Amsterdam, Netherlands-based manufacturer of automotive navigation systems, TomTom stated that the countersuit was filed in U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, on March 16. In the countersuit, TomTom alleged Microsoft of infringing four of its patents, using its (TomTom's) navigation technology in its (Microsoft's) Streets and Trips application.

TomTom spokesman Taco Titulaer said, "This countersuit is in response to (what happened in) February." Titulaer said Microsoft sued us in February, but we rejected their allegations and claims. (In February, Microsoft had filed patent-infringement case against TomTom, in the International Trade Commission and in a federal court for the Western District of Washington in the United States.) According to Titulaer, TomTom's countersuit seeks unspecified damages and an order to stop Microsoft's actions.

In a statement, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing, Horacio Gutierrez said, "We are reviewing TomTom's filing, which we have just received. As has been the case for more than a year, we remain committed to a licensing solution, although we will continue to press ahead with the complaints we initiated in the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the International Trade Commission."