The latest news and information regarding patent lawsuits:

Patent Lawsuit Over Shazam Highlights The Difference Between Invention And Implementation. A few folks have sent in variations on the news that Apple and AT&T have been sued for patent infringement over the fact that the music recognition service Shazam can be used on the iPhone. For more information visit TechDirt

Microsoft files patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems. Microsoft has long maintained that Linux infringes at least 235 of its patents, and it looks like it's reaching deep into the bin for some extra ammo in a new case filed against TomTom over nav systems -- of the eight alleged patent infringements in the complaint, five are specifically about portable navigation devices , while the remaining three cover what look to be filesystem-management techniques inherent to the Linux kernel itself. For more information visit Engadget

Blackboard wins patent lawsuit. Blackboard Inc. won its patent infringement suit against competitor Desire2Learn Inc.

A federal jury in Lufkin, Texas, ruled Friday that the D.C.-based software company's patent is valid, and that the company should be awarded $3 million in damages, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Blackboard (Nasdaq:BBBB) brought suit against Desire2Learn in January 2006.

Desire2Learn claimed Blackboard's patent should never have been awarded because the patented system already existed in the marketplace. For more information visit BizJournals