ESA urges against US Xbox ban

American trade body The Entertainment Retailers Association has urged against a possible ban on sales of the Xbox 360 in the US.

An International Trade Commission judge last month recommended that the machine should no longer be imported into the US and all sales of unsold stock to be blocked. The problems stems from a patent dispute between Microsoft and Motorola.

"Our membership includes most of the major US game publishers and the major video game console makers," an ESA statement reads.

"Accordingly, the ESA is uniquely positioned to describe the impact on the public interest of an exclusion order affecting the Xbox.

"The video game industry is a significant contributor to the US economy and job growth, and reaches American consumers of all walks of life. According to a 2011 NPD industry sales report, nearly three-quarters of all American households play games, and consumers spent nearly $25bn on video games, hardware, and accessories in 2011.

"As described here in more detail, an exclusion order banning the importation of Xbox gaming consoles into the US would harm not only Microsoft, but a variety of other parties across the gaming ecosystem, including most importantly consumers and game publishers."