"This is a win for Xbox customers" says Microsoft, emerging victorious from Motorola/Google fight
Wireless technology is A-OK to use.
The wireless way Xbox 360 consoles and controllers connect does not violate a Motorola (now owned by Google) patent.
That's what the US International Trade Commission decided for a second time yesterday when it refused to overturn its original no-way-Jose decision from March, reported ZDNet.
"This is a win for Xbox customers," fist-pumped Microsoft's law man David Howard, "and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products."
Glum Google responded: "We're disappointed with this decision and are evaluating our options."
Microsoft and Motorola's spat stretches back to 2010, but it was Microsoft that struck first, alleging patent infringement and claiming greedy old Motorola wanted excessive royalties for its patents.
Motorola slugged back by claiming Microsoft infringement on 16 patents, including the wireless dispute above. The bony legal finger was also pointed at video decryption techniques the Xbox 360 used.
The spat escalated so much that at one point the ITC was considering blocking sale of Xbox 360s in the US and Germany.
Fortunately that didn't happen because a judge ruled that these kind of patents were critical to industry standards and shouldn't be ruthlessly policed.