Microsoft wins patent trial against Motorola, awarded $14 million

The courts have punished Motorola twice in a row. Not only has one district court ruled that Motorola’s standards-essential patents aren’t remotely worth the $4 billion the comany claimed, but now a jury in a second trial has decided that the Google-owned company failed to comply with fair and reasonable licensing terms when negotiating with Microsoft over the Wi-Fi and H.264 intellectual property. The jury has decided to award $14 million in damages to Microsoft, all of which are related to an injunction against Microsoft’s products in Germany.

Last year, Motorola won an injunction against Microsoft products like the Xbox 360 and Windows 7 in Germany, and though the US courts stayed that ban, Microsoft reportedly had to relocate a warehouse as a result of the injunction. The jury awarded $11 million to Microsoft for the costs of that warehouse alone.

“This is a landmark win for all who want products that are affordable and work well together,” reads Microsoft’s statement. “The jury’s verdict is the latest in a growing list of decisions by regulators and courts telling Google to stop abusing patents.”

Motorola says it will appeal. “We’re disappointed in this outcome, but look forward to an appeal of the new legal issues raised in this case,” said a company spokesman.