Can Microsoft and Apple Kill Google's Android with Lawsuits?

Can Microsoft and Apple Kill Google's Android with Lawsuits?:

But despite the appearance that Android won, the ecosystem is now facing the looming potential of doom. That doom could come thanks to Apple, RIM, and Microsoft's growing portfolio of purchased intellectual property and desire to sue Android handset makers into submission.

Apple currently is suing HTC, Samsung, and Motorola in cases that stretch across multiple countries and continents. Microsoft is suing Motorola as well and is using legal threats to try to force Samsung into a per phone licensing deal (as much as $15 USD per Android phone sold), as it did with HTC last year. Likewise, Oracle Corp. is seeking $6.1B USD in damages, claiming that Android is infringing on the Java patents it obtained in its acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

The combined picture is clear. Apple and Microsoft have sued or entered into sweet licensing agreements with virtually every major Android maker (a few like LG Electronics Inc. have been spared, presumably on the merits of their smaller market share)."