German Patent: Motorola wins case ruling against Apple

The win could bar the sales of iPhones and iPads in the country.

FRANKFURT: Motorola Mobility won a preliminary injunction against Apple Inc in Germany, which could bar the sales of iPhones and iPads in the country. A regional German court in Mannheim ruled on Friday that Apple Sales International -- Euro pean sales subsidiary of Apple in Cork, Ireland -- must stop selling or distributing mobile devices that infringe certain Motorola patents. “The ruling targets Apple’s European sales organization but relates only to that entity’s sale to German customers,” Germany-based patent expert Florian Mueller said. To enforce the injunction, Motorola Mobility has to pay about 100 million euros as bond. Apple, which has other patent infringement cases pending in Germany, said it plans to appeal. “We are going to appeal the court ruling right away,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. “Holiday shoppers in Germany should have no problem finding the iPad and iPhone they want.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2011.