US International Trade Commission (ITC) has said Microsoft’s Xbox video-gaming system does not infringe patents owned by Google’s Motorola Mobility unit and its import into the US won’t be barred.
The fight is a part of a larger dispute between Microsoft and the mobile phone makers using Google’s Android software, including Motorola Mobility.
Microsoft deputy general counsel, David Howard, reacting to ITC’s verdict, said in a statement: "This is a win for Xbox customers and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products."
A spokesperson for Motorola, meanwhile, said it was "disappointed with this decision" and was evaluating its future course of action.
Earlier in 2010, Motorola Mobility in a complaint accused Microsoft of infringing upon five patents.
Four of them were dropped in April 2012. Only one patent, which allowed devices to communicate wirelessly over short distances remained.
In January 2013, Google asked a trade panel to drop two patents from the complaint because they were required for a standard following an antitrust settlement with federal regulators.
Google had also promised the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it would stop requesting sales bans based on the infringement of standard essential patents.
By that time, however, only one patent remained.
In March 2013, an ITC judge said that Microsoft did not infringe that technology and recommended that the case be terminated. The full ITC followed that recommendation on Thursday.
