Ruling Against Microsoft Could Halt Xbox 360 Imports

A Washington judge has ruled against Microsoft in a patent-infringement case, which could limit the import of Xbox 360 consoles to the United States. Motorola Mobility's complaint regarding Wi-Fi technology and video decoding patents won the International Trade Commission's favor.<br/><br/>This doesn't write any laws in stone, mind you, but it does present a potential risk for Microsoft. Judge David Shaw's ruling simply means a six-person commission will review the extent of infringement. If this group also deems Microsoft in violation, it could theoretically block imports of the Xbox 360 to the US.<br/><br/><img src="http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/122/1223594/MotorolavsXbox_1335224906.jpg" /><br/>Artist's representation.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The commission will make its final decision on May 18, though we may not hear the results (and potentially huge consequences) until August, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-23/motorola-mobility-wins-ruling-in-microsoft-xbox-patent-case.html" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a> reported. <br/><br/>As the Xbox 360 is manufactured by Foxconn in China, import blocks would severely limit the availability and sale of the console Stateside after August 2012. Microsoft's had a pretty good run over the past year, topping the sales charts month over month despite <a target="_blank" href="http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1223404p1.html" target="_blank">decreasing sales.</a><br/><br/>IGN has asked Microsoft for comment concerning this potential threat. <br/><br/>Via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-23/motorola-mobility-wins-ruling-in-microsoft-xbox-patent-case.html" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>.<br/><br/><LINK REL="stylesheet" HREF="http://guidesmedia.ign.com/guides/uni/IGNE_style.css" TYPE="text/css"> <DIV CLASS="IGNE_divider"></DIV><i>Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He's also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on <b><a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/MitchyD">Twitter</a></b> and <a target="_blank" href="http://people.ign.com/Mitchy_D">follow him on IGN</a></b>.</i><br/><br/></br><br/><br/>&#169;2012-04-23, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved