Microsoft and Motorola just can’t seem to get along. They have been in a patent dispute, which Motorola has kind of won. A US Judge is now recommending that the import of the two Slim models of the Xbox into the United States should stop and that existing store stock should be banned from being sold.
The same thing has happened in Germany with only a temporary injunction placed on Motorola from preventing them from enforcing the ban.
The United States International Trade Commission’s Judge, David Shaw, has made his recommendation. The ITC now has to decide whether to follow said recommendation or not. If the ITC decides to follow the recommendation of Judge Shaw, the final decision lies with President Barack Obama.
The 4GB and 250 GB Slim Xbox 360’s are the models in question. Motorola claims they infringe on their patent relating to “secure wireless communication and transmission of video content between controller devices and games consoles.” Unless you are fluent in American legalese, I’m guessing you are not sure exactly what that means. The patents, however, were deemed to have been breached back in April.
The dispute now is to what extent Microsoft has to pay for damages. A judge recommended that Microsoft pay a 7 per cent bond of the value of all imported and unsold Xbox 360 inventory.
Microsoft’s argument to try to keep their consoles on the shelves, consumers would have to ‘fall back on’ the PlayStation and Wii consoles. The judge stated that Sony and Nintendo were perfectly capable of meeting the demand.
With the final decision in the hands of President Obama, and an election coming up, it’s doubtful that the United States will see a full ban on the import of the Xbox 360.
(Via Games Radar)