The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and SRC Labs joined together to file lawsuits against Microsoft and Amazon, alleging the two tech companies infringed on their patents, reports CNBC.
SRC transferred some of its patents to the tribe in early August. The small tech firm, which claims the two tech giants have been infringing on its data processing technologies patents for years, and the tribe are seeking damages and royalties.
The tribe made headlines earlier this month for a patent deal with drugmaker Allegran. The deal received backlash from lawmakers since Native American tribes have sovereign immunity to patent challenges. Both of the tribe's partnerships are to designed shield the patents from these types of challenges, according to CNBC.
According to the tribe, the patent deal with Allegran was an effort to economically diversify itself, since revenues from a casino have leveled in recent years. The terms of the SRC partnership are not yet known.
"To overcome these economic disadvantages, the tribe took steps to diversify its economy with investments in innovative business and various enterprises to foster jobs and entrepreneurship," the tribe said in its complaint against Microsoft, filed Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to CNBC.
Amazon and Microsoft did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
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