Court in Germany rules against Microsoft in tech patent fight
A COURT in Mannheim ruled yesterday that Microsoft had infringed Motorola Mobility’s patents, and ordered Microsoft to remove its popular Xbox 360 gaming consoles and Windows 7 operating system software from the German market.
However, Microsoft said that the ruling did not mean that its products would be taken off retailers’ shelves because a US district court in Seattle has granted Microsoft a preliminary injunction against Motorola to prevent the phone maker from enforcing any German court order.
“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 said in a response to the ruling.
German judge Holger Kircher said Microsoft had breached an agreement with Motorola Mobility, which is in the process of being bought by Google, in using certain video-compression software in products including Windows 7 and Xbox. 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.