Why? It turns out Microsoft may be in violation of two patents concerning H.264 video coding and playback. A German court granted the injunction for Motorola. As it stands in the United States right now, a US court has banned Motorola from any action until next week.
Motorola seemed rather pleased at the ruling, saying:
"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 claims that if they met all of Motorola's demands, they would face an "annual bill of $4 Billion (Billion, with a B)" they would need to pay to Motorola. Motorola says that figure is inflated. Microsoft plans to appeal the ruling:
"This is one step in a long process, and we are confident that Motorola will eventually be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms for the benefit of consumers who enjoy video on the web," a spokesman said.
"Motorola is prohibited from acting on today's decision, and our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise."
"Motorola is prohibited from acting on today's decision, and our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise."
The hearing for the States is slated for May 7 but may be pushed to a later date. In Germany, the case is expected to go to the European Commission.
Oh, and don't forget that Motorola is currently in the process of being bought out by Google. So, this may end up being a battle between Microsoft and Google before you know it!
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