JURIST - Paper Chase: Germany court rules in favor of Microsoft in patent case

[JURIST] A German court on Thursday found that Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility had infringed on Microsoft Corp. [corporate websites] patents and issued an injunction barring the sale of several Motorola products in Germany and the US. The technology in question is related to keyboard communication with various applications installed on phones and other portable devices. In order to enforce the injunction, Microsoft must pay a bond [PC Magazine report] to ensure that Motorola will be compensated if it wins on appeal in the future. Microsoft representatives said the company was pleased with the ruling, but did not indicate if or when the company will pay a bond for the injunction.

Microsoft and Motorola have been engaged in patent disputes other around the globe. A German court in July granted an injunction against [JURIST report] Motorola in a patent infringement case. Earlier that month both companies filed [JURIST report] a joint motion in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington [official website] asking the court to suspend three patent cases between the parties until a trial is held on a licensing disagreement. Microsoft had alleged that Motorola failed to license Google [corporate website], which owns the company since 2010, certain video and Wi-Fi technology on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms. In May the US International Trade Commission (ITC) [official website] concluded [JURIST report] its investigation into a complaint that a number of Motorola mobile phones infringed on several Microsoft patents.