A judge in Germany recently decided that Motorola’s Android-based devices were infringing on a patent that Microsoft holds, specifically, the File Allocation Table patent. While this is good news for Microsoft, it’s a bitter pill that Motorola is going to have to swallow.
But when you look at all of the tech news out there today, an alarming number of the stories deal with in-fighting amongst the manufacturers and creators of the products that we all know and love. Everyone is vying for the largest piece of the pie available, and certainly are willing to go to court over such matters.
What does the ban mean?
Microsoft might be happy with the ban, but they still have to put up 10 million euros as a bond for the ban to take effect. The bond is in case Motorola wins their appeal, the money they spend on their legal fees would come from the 10 million euros from Microsoft.
The case awarded more than just a ban though. Items that infringe on that patent are even being recalled from store shelves, and Microsoft may be able to receive damages from the sale of those items before the ban went into place. As one can imagine, Motorola is not at all pleased with the situation, and according to a spokesperson from the company, they are looking at options to get an appeal.
Microsoft, on the other hand, sees this as justice served. They claim that the ruling is similar to other rulings in the United States and other locations where they were able to prove that Motorola infringed on their intellectual property. Microsoft may be correct when one looks at the recent history surrounding these cases. Quite a few Apple and Microsoft patents have seemingly been violated.
When things grow contentious in the business world
Business is no stranger to this type of fighting. Nicola Tesla and Thomas Edison were famously at odds over electricity; the railroads fought as have oil companies. It is simply a natural, and sometimes unfortunate, part of business.
But as a consumer, it is a good idea to sit back and watch what happens before making any purchasing decisions. One does not want to buy a device that will possibly have no support a few months down the road. While this is an extreme example, just about anything could happen with the fighting and lawsuits as prominent as they are right now.