Activision Blizzard opposes Motorola's Xbox ban lawsuit

Activision Blizzard and other companies have weighed in on Motorola Mobility's lawsuit against Microsoft over alleged patent infringements, noting that a sales ban for the Xbox 360 S console in the U.S. would cause commercial harm for related manufacturers and publishers. Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility has claimed that Microsoft's Xbox 360 infringes on five of its patents, including video decoding and wi-fi technology from the company. Earlier this year, a judge agreed that Microsoft has infringed on four of these patents, meaning that if the commission agrees with the judge when it meets in August, Motorola Mobility will have the chance to block imports of Xbox 360 hardware from entering the U.S. Numerous companies have now stepped in to oppose the lawsuit, providing statements of public interest consideration, reports Foss Patents. Activision Blizzard backed a submission by the Entertainment Software Association, noting that it has "expended and continues to expend significant resources to develop video games and accessories specially adapted to operate on Microsoft's Xbox gaming console." The ESA added that an import ban for the Xbox console would harm game publishers and consumers, while Motorola Mobility "would suffer no equivalent harm, and any harm MMI would suffer can be remedied financially," noting that the company does not make any game consoles, and therefore is not a direct competitor. Other companies who have voiced their concerns include Intel and IBM, the latter of which stated that the Xbox 360 consoles "contain components developed by, and a limited portion of which are manufactured by, IBM in the United States", meaning IBM would "suffer commercial harm" if the ban is granted.