In bizarre turn of events, a US International Trade Commission Judge David Shaw found probable cause against Microsoft and ruled for Motorola Mobility’s claim that the former infringed some of their patents.
The six member commission has the power to ruled out and block imports that have been found to have infringed US patents. The commission is set to review their decision and release a statement this coming August.
Motorola was all smiles after hearing the news.
A spokesperson from the company said, “We are pleased that the [administrative law judge]’s initial determination finds Microsoft to be in violation of Motorola Mobility’s intellectual property. Microsoft continues to infringe Motorola Mobility’s patent portfolio, and we remain confident in our position. This case was filed in response to Microsoft’s litigate-first patent attack strategy, and we look forward to the full commission’s ruling in August.”
Microsoft on the other hand issued a statement regarding the recent turn of event.
A Microsoft spokesperson said, “Today’s recommendation by the administrative law judge is the first step in the process leading to the commission’s final ruling. We remain confident the commission will ultimately rule in Microsoft’s favor in this case and that Motorola will be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms.”
The two companies have been locked in a patent battle since 2010 when Microsoft filed a case against Motorola over wireless and video encoding patents.
Image Source: vator.tv
