Microsoft Sued for Locking Out Third Party Memory Cards

[Greg Tito]

Microsoft Sued for Locking Out Third Party Memory Cards

Microsoft accused of being anti-competitive, that's unpossible!

During the last Xbox 360 Dashboard update on November 17, Microsoft introduced code which disallowed third party memory card units [http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2009/10/16/unauthorized-xbox-360-storage-devices.aspx] to function in their consoles, such as those sold by Datel. Today, Datel announced that it is suing Microsoft for unlawfully reducing competition in the memory card market.

In a press release [http://www.hrice.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.contentDetail&ID=9032&tID=224] from the firm Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin, Datel's attorney Marty Glick stated:

Microsoft has taken steps to render inoperable the competing Datel memory card for no visible purpose other than to have that market entirely to themselves. They accomplished their recent update by making a system change that will not recognize or allow operation of a memory card with greater capacity than their own. We believe that with the power Microsoft enjoys in the market for Xbox accessories this conduct is unlawful.

It is now up to a federal court in San Francisco to determine whether Microsoft was indeed engaging in anti-competitive practices.

Datel memory cards had capacities up to 4 gb, whereas the biggest Microsoft cards are stalled at 512mb. Datel says that this lawsuit is in the best interests of the consumer, and I have to agree. More choice is generally good, especially if you don't provide a product that your competitor does.

Source: via Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/datel-suing-microsoft-over-max-memory-card-lockout/]

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[Sparrow]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

 

[Dogstile]

Thats a surprise

silly microsoft, those cards sounded good, you should have invested

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Yeah, Microsoft may be able to ban people, but ban third-party hardware? Now that's just getting greedy.

 

[Filtertip]

I din't even know about these memery cards till just now well done microsoft your blocking has lead its way to informing me of a possablely better product and i hate you for blocking it.

While theres FAR to much sueing going on atm i can back this one since microsoft are to lazy to fight them so they just remove them.

 

[Aesir23]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

With knives?

 

[Trivun]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

Depends, will there be a decent classic soundtrack, a reimagining of a timeless tragic love story, and flick knives? Because if so I'll be there with the camera. Screw copyright, if I want to remake old films then I will!

Anyway, I don't have XBL so I don't get the Dashboard updates. However, I can see that this is a problem for the countless millions who do have XBL. Thus I agree with Datel. Microsoft have gone over the top and are definitely behaving in a greedy monopolistic way. Surely with the amount of lawsuits and punishments they've had over the years, they should realise by now that people don't like it when they try to create a monopoly for themselves?

 

[Dirty Apple]

I'll be interested to find out how this turns out. I'm not sure what copyright and IP law says, but you'd think that since its their own proprietary system that they can decide what works with it and what doesn't. Please correct me if my asumption is way off.

 

[dududf]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

With knives?

That Fires Lasers?

 

[Xan Krieger]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

Depends, will there be a decent classic soundtrack, a reimagining of a timeless tragic love story, and flick knives? Because if so I'll be there with the camera. Screw copyright, if I want to remake old films then I will!

Anyway, I don't have XBL so I don't get the Dashboard updates. However, I can see that this is a problem for the countless millions who do have XBL. Thus I agree with Datel. Microsoft have gone over the top and are definitely behaving in a greedy monopolistic way. Surely with the amount of lawsuits and punishments they've had over the years, they should realise by now that people don't like it when they try to create a monopoly for themselves?

Actually Microsoft reserves a portion of disc space on games so even people without XBL can get the updates.

 

[ryai458]

why doesn't microsoft just buy datel and continue selling memory cards?

 

[Sparrow]

Man, is this Lawsuit November or something? Can't people learn to solve their differences the proper way?

Like, a street fight?

With knives?

I was thinking more like the end of Rocky 5

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Datel memory cards had capacities up to 4 GB, whereas the biggest Microsoft cards are stalled at 512mb.

So wait a second. You mean to tell me that, all this time, there were memory cards with a capacity up to 4GB, but Microsoft withheld them simply because they were competition?

Silly Microsoft. Those cards sounded good, you should have invested.

Well knowing Microsoft, this lawsuit may result in just that, except replace "invested" with "buying."

 

[Americow]

why doesn't microsoft just buy datel and continue selling memory cards?

Nah, they'll probably just take one apart and copy it, like they did with the computer mouse and Apple.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

Microsoft dickishness is gonna bite them in the ass.

 

[SantoUno]

I din't even know about these memery cards till just now well done microsoft your blocking has lead its way to informing me of a possablely better product and i hate you for blocking it.

While theres FAR to much sueing going on atm i can back this one since microsoft are to lazy to fight them so they just remove them.

I feel the same, I had no idea third-party 360 memory cards existed, and I can't believe they can hold so much space. Wow shame on you Microsoft, this is a product that I might have been interested in buying and now you're denying me the right to use it? For shame you tyrannical fucks.

 

[Wofiel]

GUYS. This was allowing easy savegame exploits by using a normal memory card which is easily usable by a computer. Granted it's still possible with Microsoft's hardware, just exceedingly more difficult and you're voiding a warranty or two.

If they just functioned like normal memory cards, I assume Microsoft wouldn't have bothered with it at all and let them go about their merry way.

Just please, think before you jump on the "Z0mG M$ IS BAD GUIZ" bandwagon.