Motorola scores MS Windows 7 OS and XBox ban in Germany

A German court in its ruling delivered on Wednesday, found Microsoft guilty of infringing on a host of Motorola Mobility's patents and has taken some big steps. Following a ruling delivered by Judge Holger Kircher, a court in Mannheim, Germany has now ordered Microsoft to withdraw their popular Xbox 360 gaming consoles and Windows 7 operating system software from the German market. Microsoft, however, according to reports has said that the ruling does not mean that they would be required to remove the above mentioned products from the German market, since they have secured a preliminary injunction, granted to them by a U.S court in Seattle against Motorola, preventing the latter from enforcing any German court order. 

Battleground - Germany!

Microsoft is believed to have infringed on Motorola Mobility’s patents by using a video-compression software in their products that include Windows 7 and Xbox. In its response to the ruling, Microsoft has been quoted as saying, "Motorola is prohibited from acting on today's decision, and our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise." Microsoft had earlier, expecting some harsh decisions to come its way moved its regional software distribution centre to the Netherlands from Germany. The software giant, hence, will understandably not experience much impact of the ruling.

In the past week, a U.S ITC judge, too found Microsoft guilty of infringing on Motorola Mobility's patents for wireless internet connection and video compression functions used in the Xbox. Motorola Mobility, too, which currently is in the process of being acquired by search giant, Google is fighting some complications. Reportedly, EU competition authorities have opened two investigations to see if Motorola has been "over-charging for the use of its patents in their rival products."

Those following our reports covering a host of patent battles that are currently being fought, globally would know that the larger fight is between non-Android brands, like Apple, Microsoft and mobile phone makers who use Google's Android software, such as Samsung.

Reuters