Microsoft sues Motorola over Xbox 360 tech

Microsoft and Motorola are not getting along. For the second time in as many months, the former has filed suit against the latter over a patent dispute--a dispute that explicitly involves gaming.

As first reported by Reuters, Microsoft is suing Motorola over a series of patents involving video coding and wireless technology used in the Xbox 360. According to a copy of the suit obtained by GameSpot, Microsoft contends that "Motorola broke its promises to license patents it asserted as related to wireless technologies known as 'WLAN' and to video coding technologies generally known as 'H.264' under reasonable rates."

The suit goes on to allege Motorola reneged on its promise to offer the technologies at a rate consistent with other licensees. Instead, Microsoft is accusing Motorola of "demanding royalties that are excessive and discriminatory" after licensing the technologies at a reasonable rate to "induce reliance" on the technologies.

As the plaintiff, Microsoft is asking that Motorola be prevented from demanding further excessive royalties and that the royalties demanded by Motorola be decreed unreasonable. It also asks that Microsoft be able to license WLAN wireless and H.624 video encoding technology "on reasonable terms and conditions," as well as be reimbursed for court and lawyers' fees.

The suit is the second in as many months Microsoft has filed against Motorola. The prior legal action had the software giant accusing the wireless firm of infringing on its patents in the design of Android-based smartphones. Those phones use an operating system designed by Google, a Microsoft rival.