There has been some major legal issues that Microsoft has been going through lately regarding their popular Xbox 360 console. So major that it may lose access to their largest audience in the world. If you haven’t been following the news, Motorola and Microsoft have been in a major legal battle over Microsoft infringing on some of Motorola’s patents in their gaming console. A US International Trade Commission judge has ruled that Microsoft has infringed upon four of the five patents that Motorola has accused Microsoft of infringing upon, which led to a ruling by the Mannheim Court in Germany that Microsoft is guilty and therefor can’t sell the console in Germany. This has been temporarily blocked due to the US court issuing a restraining order preventing Motorola from enforcing the injunction, but that may be gone soon along with the ban being applied to the states as well.
US judge David Shaw, the judge who ruled that Microsoft infringed on Motorola’s four patents, has advised the International Trade Commission to ban the imports of 4GB and 250 GB Xbox 360 consoles to the United States due to the infringing patents. If the ITC follows through with the recommendation by Shaw, then the only hope for Microsoft would be President Barack Obama reviewing the decision and overruling it within the 60 days it will take for the ruling to pass to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Court. Along with this, Shaw also suggested Microsoft post a bond equivalent to 7% of all 360 consoles currently unsold within the US. This may be steep, but compared to the 100% Motorola was asking for Microsoft should consider themselves lucky.
What made me laugh most out of this whole debacle is Microsoft’s reason for why this shouldn’t pass, stating that such a ban “would leave Sony and Nintendo the dominant force in the market”. Way to stay classy, Microsoft. Judge Shaw shared my line of logic, saying that intellectual property was far more important.
Microsoft fans may want to pay close attention to the news regarding this legal battle(and possibly be ready to write letters to either the ITC or to the Obama administration), and anyone who has been thinking about getting a 360 lately may wish to snatch one up before they may be off the shelves entirely. Movements across the world are already happening to boycott Motorola products as well. As for me, I’ll be sitting on the sideline with a bag of popcorn and using yet another dead 360 as a coaster for my cool beverage as I watch the chaos unfold.
