Microsoft moves logistics from Germany over lawsuits

   Microsoft’s ongoing litigation with Motorola Mobility Holdings has caused the company to move its European logistics operations from Germany to the Netherlands.
   The move of the logistics services unit, run by outsourcing service provider Arvato, marks the first major shift of a technology platform and service arm out of Germany that was specifically caused by fears over potential court rulings on business patents.
   Microsoft’s products are covered in a video patents case brought by Motorola Mobility, a company recently acquired by Google for its patents and hardware experience. By moving its logistics and distribution efforts out of Germany, Microsoft will be shifting its assets and efforts out of the injunction range of the court.
   If a Germany injunction against infringing patents is handed down by the court, Microsoft will be able to ship products throughout Europe, just not into or from Germany. Recent technology litigation-based injunctions in that country have seen them limited to Germany and not initially enforceable in the rest of the E.U.
   According to the Wall Street Journal, a person close to the matter said that roughly 100 jobs are at stake at Arvato, which is owned by Bertelsmann AG.
   Microsoft itself is saying that no jobs will be lost due to the shift, but it is unclear if that statement included the Arvato positions. Microsoft said it currently employs more than 2,700 people in Germany.
   Germany has been a hotbed of litigation for the tech industry as of late, with most new smartphones and tablets seeing their European litigation happen in that country. The country uses judges versed in patent cases to hear litigation and make decisions, as opposed to a juried trial.
   Microsoft has already sought U.S. legal protections from the potential ruling in Germany.