A court in Mannheim, Germany, has ruled against Microsoft and they must now remove the Xbox 360 and Windows 7 from the German market. After Motorola cried foul over patent infringement, the ruling has come down in favor of the popular phone maker… but don’t shed tears (or laugh at) Microsoft just yet. This is where it gets complicated: An American court in Seattle has given Microsoft an injunction against Motorola to prevent the German ruling from taking effect.The Mannheim case is part of a larger patent war that’s currently raging between Apple, Microsoft and Android handset makers (like Samsung). Reuters explains:
But following complaints by Microsoft and Apple the EU competition authorities have opened two investigations into whether Motorola has been over-charging for the use of its patents in their rival products. Technology companies have invested billions of dollars in buying up patent portfolios that they can use defensively or offensively against rivals and spent still more money litigating in the United States and Europe. Last week a judge for the U.S. International Trade Commission also said Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility’s patents for technology used in the Xbox’s wireless internet connection and video compression functions.
Reuters goes on to explain that “Germany has in recent months become a major battleground in the global patent war between makers of mobile phones, tablet computer devices and their operating software as court actions there have proved to be relatively cheap and speedier than in other jurisdictions.” Several countries around the world (including Australia) have seen these sorts of battles as major tech players attempt to put a cork in each other’s cash flow.Source: Reuters
