Microsoft faces an Xbox 360 and Windows 7 ban in Germany

IT ISN'T ALL bad news for Motorola today, as it has won an injunction against Microsoft in a German court.

The court ruled that Microsoft infringed two Motorola patents relating to the H.264 compression standard, Reuters reports, deciding that the Redmond-based software house must cease distribution of its Xbox 360 console and Windows 7 operating system (OS) both online and in stores in Germany.

This decision follows a ruling last week by the US International Trade Commission (ITC), which also found that Microsoft's Xbox 360 console infringes Motorola's patents.

However, it's unlikely that Microsoft's products will be removed from shelves straight away, if at all. The H.264 patent in question applies to one of the most popular video codec standards, which is used widely thoughout the industry. Such standards essential patents must be licensed on a 'fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory' (FRAND) basis, which Microsoft argues that Motorola isn't allowing with its demands for $4bn in annual royalties.

The ITC is investigating Motorola's behaviour, but that hasn't stopped it from boasting about the German court's decision. A Motorola spokesperson told The INQUIRER, "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."

Microsoft was unavailable comment at the time of writing. µ