Motorola Wins German Ban Vs. Microsoft?s Windows, Xbox

Motorola Mobility Holdings (Nasdaq: MMI) won a patent ruling in Germany that bans Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, from selling Windows 7 and other products.

A judge in Mannheim on Wednesday ruled that Motorola Mobility's patents had been infringed and enjoined Microsoft from selling products that also include Internet Explorer adn Xbox in Germany, wire services reported.

Microsoft, though, said the ruling would have no effect because a U.S. District Court in Seattle, near its Redmond, Wash., headquarters, had enjoined Motorola Mobility from taking any action.

Motorola Mobility is in the final steps of being acquired by Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, for $12.5 billion. The deal has passed all reviews except for the Chinese government.

Shares of Microsoft fell 32 cents to $31.70 in midmorning trading while those of Motorola Mobility rose 7 cents to $38.83. Google shares fell 45 cents to $604.15.

The case is part of overall patent battles over smartphones involving all these companies as well as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, and Samsung Electronics (Pink: SSNLF).

As part of the dispute, the European Union has started to probe whether Motorola Mobility has overcharged smartphone customers for use of its Android patents.

In the U.S. a judge on the U.S. International Trade Commission last month found that Microsoft had infringed four Motorola Mobility's wireless patents for technologies used on the Xbox.

Earlier in 2012, another German regional court enjoined Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tablet 10.1 after Apple complained about patent infringements.