Microsoft Found To Infringe On Four Motorola Patents

Everything seems to be revolving around patents in the tech space these days. When companies aren't acquiring them for large amounts of cash, they're suing others for alleged infringement. Motorola claims that Microsoft fell foul of patent infringement thanks to the use of H.264 in Windows and on the Xbox 360, and a judge last night ruled in favor of Motorola on the issue.

The Xbox 360 was found to infringe on four of Motorola's patents by a judge at the US International Trade Commission. The patents cover the use of H.264 encoding, an industry standard, so it doesn't come as much surprise, but it's a win for Motorola nonetheless. Microsoft tried to argue that Motorola was abusing its H.264 patents, and that they could "kill video on the web", but the judge wasn't swayed.

Microsoft responded to the ruling in a statement, saying it "remains confident the Commission will ultimately rule in Microsoft's favor in this case and that Motorola will be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms." Motorola has requested as much as $4 billion per year for the use of H.264 on the Xbox 360 console, which Microsoft believes to be extortion.

[via The Verge]