360 Roundup: It’s OK, we’re pre-law
Microsoft and a number of other computer manufacturers are getting sued by Lucent Technologies for patent infringement — are they in trouble?
FULL STORY:
• Microsoft now joins Dell and Gateway as defendants in patent lawsuits filed by Lucent Technologies, which claims that the companies infringed on a Lucent patent for a certain type of MPEG encoding.
Lucent wants all Xbox 360s pulled from the shelves because they use the type of encoding in question, and you can bet they’re gunning for some mad cash money in damages, too. Who knows what will happen if Microsoft loses the case — having to pull every 360 and make major changes in production would be very bad news. [ITWeek]
• Word on the street in Asia is that Microsoft plans to double their orders from the Taiwanese companies that manufacture the Xbox 360’s computer chip. That means they’re aiming to ship 3 million 360’s in the second quarter this year, which would just about double their first quarter numbers. [Forbes]