Microsoft has decided to leave Germany before the expected court ruling In the patent war with Motorola Mobility.
If the loose they risk that Windows 7 is illegal and cannot be soled and furthermore will be seized by the German state - as a worst case scenario. This goes for Xbox too.
Now this makes it important to move the stock away from Germany - So they will establish a new Office in the Netherlands.
As you might recall Google bought Motorola as a reaction to Microsofts' blackmail of Google customers called cross licensing, for Android.
In the upcoming decision, a regional court in Mannheim, Germany, is expected to decide whether Microsoft violated an agreement with Motorola by using certain video-compression software in products including Windows 7 and the Xbox 360 videogame console.
Google/Motorola want an annual payment of 4 Billion Dollars for MS to continue using their stuff. This shows that MS has not patented the strategy of claiming an obscene amount of money if people do not dance to their tunes.
So on the surface this is about video technology.
But we all know that MS stepped on Googles toes with that hopeless licensing blackmail claim, and therefore get a rewarding punch in the nose back.
The lawyers will find finer words, but that is what it is about.
I bet the US courts are tired of "parenting" the childish IT companies - and now they are trying it in Europe too. The courts there might not be all that patient.
