Apple gets major setback in global patent war
The German court ruled that Apple's iPhone and iPad infringe a Motorola patent and issued an injunction banning the import of iPhones and 3G-capable iPads into Germany.
The dispute, one of Apple's several patent lawsuits around the world, is over a Motorola patent essential to GPRS. Motorola has been negotiating with Apple over licensing terms and conditions since 2007, and it will continue its efforts to resolve its global patent dispute as soon as practicable, said Motorola Mobility in a statement on Friday.
"We're going to appeal the court's ruling right away. Holiday shoppers in Germany should have no problem finding the iPad or iPhone they want," an Apple spokesman told tech news site AllThingsD.
Apple is not too concerned about losing out in the Christmas shopping season as it has plenty of iPhones and iPads in Germany already, AllThingsD cited unidentified sources as saying.
The ruling is against Apple's European sales company and only impacts its products sold in Germany. The German court also ruled that Motorola is entitled to a damages award.
Apple can appeal the ruling to a higher court and request a stay of the injunction, according to a blog post of Florian Mueller, a U.S. patent expert who has been closely following patent lawsuits in the mobile industry.
Mueller said should Apple make the appeal but the court declines the stay, Motorola must post a 100 million euro (around 134 million U.S. dollars) bond before the court will enforce the injunction; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
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