ITC rules Xbox did not infringe on Motorola patent

Microsoft and Motorola have been continuing to trade legal blows over the last few months, and Microsoft recently scored a victory in the long-running patent war. The International Trade Commission ruled yesterday that the Xbox did not violate Motorola's wireless communications patent.

Reuters reports that this was the last remaining of the five patents that Motorola accused Microsoft of infringing upon. Four of them had been dropped as the case progressed since 2010.

"This is a win for Xbox customers and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products," said Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard, in a statement. Motorola, meanwhile, said it was "disappointed" with the decision and currently evaluating its options.

Depending on what option Motorola chooses, this might be the last we hear of the long legal battle -- at least related to the games industry. Motorola previously won on the grounds of some of its patents, but the ITC sent the case back to the judge for consideration. One ITC judge recommended a console ban, which was subsequently rejected. In January, Motorola Mobility parent company Google dropped two more of the patents from the complaint, leaving only one remaining. At that time, the company also promised to no longer request sales bans based on the infringement complaints.