Google and its subsidiary Motorola Mobility may have to break down and start paying Microsoft royalties on the IP Redmond claims is in Android like the rest of the Android ecosystem.

That is if they want to keep Google Maps alive in Germany.

FOSS Patents reported Thursday that the Munich I Regional Court told Google and Motorola "in no uncertain terms" that it's likely to decide that they infringe a Microsoft patent on a "computer system for identifying local resources and method therefore."

And that means that Google Maps will be banned locally despite Google complaining that it will "suffer irreparable harm."

Google hasn't been able to convince the court that the patent in invalid or that the way it's being interpreted is too broad. So it looks like Microsoft will ultimately get an injunction on the Google Maps Service, the Google Maps Android client app and web browsers providing access to Google Maps.

FOSS Patent says Google will have to disable "access to Google Maps from computers using a German IP address, discontinue shipping the Google Maps Android app in the German market and distribute web browsers in Germany only if they block access to Google Maps in a way comparable to Internet filters used for the purpose of parental controls."

A decision could happen in two months.

Ironically it was Motorola's idea to litigate in Germany.

See www.fosspatents.com/2013/03/google-about-to-lose-patent-spat-with.html.