Stefan Mileschin

Google has decided to put its patent feud with Microsoft to bed... at least partially. The H.264-related patents in question were part of the Internet giant's prize when it purchased Motorola, and Redmond has been seeking to license. As a result of the FTC's recent judgement against Mountain View, Xbox owners will be able to sleep soundly that Big G isn't about to take its streaming video away. In what would appear to be the first step towards complying with the order to license its standards-essential patents, Google has dropped some of its claims against Microsoft. Companies deciding to license instead of sue is becoming more common, indicating there may be a lasting peace coming. But the patent wars aren't over just yet. Google still has at least one active claim against its chief rival filed with the ITC and has other pending lawsuits around the globe. Still, we'll take this as yet another positive sign that the world's tech companies are just about done with their legal bickering and keeping the smack downs where they belong -- on TV.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/g...nst-microsoft/