Xbox 360 and Windows 7 are to be banned in Germany

[Sefirosu]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/...be-banned-in-germany-over-patent-dispute.html

It was ruled that Microsoft infringed on two patents required for H.264 video coding and playback.

It means that the sales of Xbox 360 systems and Windows 7 software are to be halted soon, as well as the distribution of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.

I find this weird. Windows 7 is pretty much essential software for home PC users and businesses. Xbox 360 is the leading (?) home entertainment system. So this ruling would put the German public at a disadvantage.

 

[antijoke]

Not really, similar thing happened last year with a certain mobile phone.

 

[yoyo50]

Germany ftw.

 

[Memphis]

Germany ftw.

Eh, no.

 

[TheMightyTen]

And in other news Manheim Judges have been enjoying Playstation 3's that have mysteriously appeared in their offices in recently

 

[Tyron]

Stupid ruling.

 

[:(Rhodri:)]

Can't they just use the x264 codec? Its open source and doesn't have the stupid gamma issues that plague h264.

 

[GravyMonster]

Anything that stops the spread of Internet Explorer is a good thing IMO.

However that ruling is pretty dumb.

 

[Burnsy2023]

The fatherland seems to be the patent litigation capital of europe. I hope it stops soon.

 

[flibbage0]

The fatherland seems to be the patent litigation capital of europe. I hope it stops soon.

Did you get any sleep in the end.

 

[Cosimo]

Anything that stops the spread of Internet Explorer is a good thing IMO.

IE not to your liking?

 

[panyan]

Anything that stops the spread of Internet Explorer is a good thing IMO.

+1

but i expect there will be a Germany-only update which removes these features that they've infringed on

 

[Deleted member 66701]

In other news.......

Press Release: Siemens AG announces new games console and bespoke x86 operating system.

Munich — Siemens AG new console, codenamed the "why did we think of that" will rival Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony's PS3 for sheer processing power.

A team of the companies engineers at the Munich based giant also reveal it will integrate seemlessly with thier new operating system - code named "we've bribed the judges" and will be a direct competitor to Microsofts Windows 7 OS and it's upcoming Windows 8 OS....................

###

 

[GravyMonster]

IE not to your liking?

Hell no. IE has held back web usability and functionality for more than 10 years now.

 

[ubersonic]

Hell no. IE has held back web usability and functionality for more than 10 years now.

Lol, im gonna like this, please explain?

 

[alexthecheese]

What's wrong with people protecting their intellectual property?

Used wrongly it stifles competition. Pretty well understood now I think given the ongoing Samsung and Apple disputes.

 

[stockhausen]

What's wrong with people protecting their intellectual property?

Absolutely nothing . . . apparently unless it happens to apply to music, films or TV shows

 

[int]

Apparently Motorola were going to charge Microsoft $4 billion a year to use it which wasn't considered "fair", so they just took it...

 

[numatic.nathan]

This ruling was written up and published using Windows 7 Professional.

 

[El_Watcher]

The XBOX 360 and Windows 7 have been available for 7 years and 3 years respectively (not including beta version). Why has it taken that long for Motorola to enforce this infringement?

Surely if it is something released in a recent update, could they not just update again to remove the function, like Sony did with the Linux O/S on the PS3?
As someone else said, they could then implement x264.