Google Nabs Patent Win Against Microsoft in Germany
Google was handed a victory against Microsoft on Friday, when a German court said that the company’s Motorola Mobility unit did not infringe one of its Seattle rival’s patents.
Ruling on another of Microsoft’s many claims against Google, a regional court of Mannheim found that Motorola’s Android-based smartphones do not violate a Microsoft patent that allows apps to work on different handsets, a boon for developers who don’t want to write code for multiple devices. In doing so, the court rejected Microsoft’s request for a sales ban on infringing devices in Germany.
So, a rare loss for Microsoft, which has so far won three injunctions against Motorola hardware in Germany as part of its efforts to force the company to pay the same licensing fees on its smartphones as other Android device makers.
“This decision does not impact multiple injunctions Microsoft has already been awarded and has enforced against Motorola products in Germany,” Microsoft said in statement. “It remains that Motorola is broadly infringing Microsoft’s intellectual property, and we hope it will join the vast majority of Android device makers by licensing Microsoft’s patents.”