Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility reduces complaint against Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Google Inc(NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility which is suing Microsoft Corporation(NASDAQ:MSFT) for patent violations, has withdrawn patents related to Wifi and reduced the scope of its complaints against the software company's XBox gaming console by 50 percent.

Foss Patents, which reports on patent related litigations and lawsuits, said that Google unit Motorola dropped two "WiFi-related patents from the case, leaving only two H.264 (video codec) patents."

The report said that Motorola's motion for partial termination was filed on Wednesday last and was not based on any kind of appeal by Microsoft or any settlement entered into with it.

Motorola had made the complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in November 2010 and in late June this year the ITC remanded the investigation.

"The remand notice provided certain instructions that suggested that Google was rather unlikely to get leverage out of this investigation," FOSS Patents said.

"The asserted claims from the two IEEE 802.11 (WiFi, or WLAN) patents that Motorola has just withdrawn were method claims. One of the H.264 patents remaining in the investigation faces the same issue," it added.

A hearing on the remand investigation will take place in December this year and a remand initial determination or a preliminary ruling by a judge is scheduled for March 22, 2013.

With Motorola reducing its claims by 50 percent the risk of any more delays is also reduced.

"In fact, if a Microsoft motion for summary judgment concerning Google's grant-back obligation vis-à-vis all MPEG LA AVC/H.264 patent pool contributors succeeds, the case will just go away, possibly even prior to the upcoming evidentiary hearing," FOSS Patents said.