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ESA Speaks on Potential Xbox 360 Ban


Remember that International Trade Commission judge who recommended a ban on Xbox 360 sales due to patent infringements on Motorola software? Well, the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) doesn’t think that sounds like a good idea at all.

According to specialist patent blog FOSS Patents, the group behind E3, the ESRB ratings system, and several major gaming companies, including Nintendo, Capcom, Sony, Disney, and Square Enix, is taking a firm stance against an Xbox 360 ban.

As noted in an official statement to FOSS Patents, the ESA noted that bans on each company in the patent lawsuit wouldn’t be anywhere near equal. Particularly, Motorola would be getting a slap on the wrist compared to Microsoft, especially since Motorola Mobile is now owned by tech monolith Google.

Moreover, taking the Xbox 360 out of the console market would be akin to causing an apocalypse in the gaming industry:

Furthermore, the Entertainment Software Association, whose membership “includes most of the major U.S. game publishers and the major video game console makers”, raised specific concerns about a potential Xbox ban, which it says “would harm U.S. consumers, game publishers and the gaming ecosystem”.

The ESA points that an Xbox import ban would impose harm on game publishers and consumers, wile [sic] Motorola Mobility “would suffer no equivalent harm, and any harm MMI would suffer can be remedied financially”.

For once, the ESA is right on the money, as a ban on Xbox 360 sales impacts tons of developers, publishers, and affiliated retailers. As we noted before at EGM, that ban actually happening would be highly unlikely, but if we’re still talking about it, that means the decision is still hanging around in the ITC Board of Commissions’ inbox.

As reported by: EGM

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Posted On: June 11, 2012 at 05:28pm

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