A court in Mannheim, Gernmany ruled on Wednesday that Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility's patents and ordered Microsoft to remove its Xbox 360 gaming consoles and Windows 7 operating system software from the German market.
However, Microsoft claims that a recent ruling of U.S. district court in Seattle
has granted the company a preliminary injunction against Motorola to prevent the phone maker from enforcing any German court order, including the latest one that could remove Microsoft's products from retailers' shelves.
The German judge said on Wednesday Microsoft breached an agreement with Motorola Mobility, in using certain video-compression software in products including Windows 7 and Xbox.
The court also ordered Microsoft to remove all products that infringe the patents from the German market, including its Xbox 360 console and the Windows 7 operating system.
Both parties have seven days to appeal before the verdict comes into force, and Microsoft said it plans to do so. Should Motorola want the verdict enforced before a final appeals ruling is issued, it would have to deposit several tens of millions of euros as a legal security, the court said.
"We remain open to resolving this matter," Motorola said the company. "Fair compensation is all that we have been seeking for our intellectual property."
Last 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.