Windows 7 and Xbox 360 face ban in Germany

Microsoft has been told by courts it must stop selling Windows 7 and the Xbox 360 in Germany, due to apparent patent infringement.

The judgement comes after Motorola Mobility – yup, the company now owned by Google – alleged that the computing giant's products infringed two patents regarding H.264 video coding and playback.

A court in Germany has agreed that Microsoft has used some of Moto's intellectual property and decided that a sales ban is to be put in place until the matter can be settled – i.e., lots of money has changed hands.

This doesn't mean that Microsoft is going to pull its products from shelves – the ban also includes Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player – as it has vowed to carry on as normal until it can appeal the decision.

It also has the backing of the US on this which has banned any, er, ban from happening. This is because a Seattle judge has put a restraining order on Motorola as the company has been accused of going back on a promise to license out its 'widely-used technologies'.

In short, the whole affair is messier than a toddler's first attempt at eating spaghetti.

Microsoft:

"Our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise."

Broken promise

Speaking about the situation, a spokesman for Microsoft explained: "This is one step in a long process, and we are confident that Motorola will eventually be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms for the benefit of consumers who enjoy video on the web.

"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."

Moto was a little more excited about the decision, noting: "We are pleased that the Mannheim Court found that Microsoft products infringe Motorola Mobility's intellectual property. As a path forward, we remain open to resolving this matter. Fair compensation is all that we have been seeking for our intellectual property."

The fair compensation Moto mentioned will cost Microsoft $4bn (£2.5bn) annually, according to Microsoft, which is the equivalent to buying up 20 Draw Somethings a year.

Via BBC