Microsoft Shuts German Distribution on Patent Dispute

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is moving its European software distribution to the Netherlands from Germany after being caught up in legal disputes over patents with Motorola Mobility Inc (NYSE:MMI) in Europe's biggest economy.

A spokesman for Microsoft said on Monday that the move was already in progress. So far, the U.S. software maker's distribution has been handled out of Germany by Bertelsmann's BERT.UL services unit Arvato.

The news comes ahead of a German court decision expected on April 17 after Motorola, which is being bought by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), sued Microsoft for infringing a video technology patent.