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Court Reviews Microsoft-Motorola 'Push' Patent Case

Microsoft may catch a break in another patents infringement case against Motorola over so-called "push" technology.

A Microsoft spokesperson said on Friday that a court based in Mannheim, Germany will hold off its decision to re-examine the suit, in which Motorola sued over "data sync technology used by Microsoft products that use Exchange ActiveSync." That data sync technology is also described as "push" technology, in which content is pushed down from a server to a client, such as sending e-mail notifications to mobile devices.

The push technology can continue to be used in Microsoft's products while Judge Andreas Voss considers some details about the case, according to Germany-based blogger Florian Müller, who describes himself as a consultant, currently retained by Microsoft and Oracle. He said that the judge is reviewing the case after considering "prior use" details supplied by Microsoft, according to a post Friday.

Microsoft issued the following statement on the matter:

"We are pleased the Mannheim court is looking even more closely at this case and remain confident in our arguments."

Apple is already barred by a German court from using this same Motorola push technology, according to a CNet story. The court slapped an injunction on Apple in February, causing the company to turn off its e-mail notification services in Germany for iOS-devices using iCloud and MobileMe services, according to the article.

This case is separate from Motorola Mobility's litigation over the use of H.264 video codec technology in Microsoft products, such as its Xbox gaming console. That case was decided in Motorola's favor in Germany, but enforcement got postponed this month by a Seattle court.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

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