Motorola wins patent court case in Germany against Apple

Motorola's mobile phones unit, which is in the throes of being acquired by Google, has won a patent case against Apple in a German court, but analysts cautioned Saturday that it was still unclear if the verdict would hurt Apple, dpa reported. The court in Mannheim barred Apple Inc. from selling phones in Germany that it said breached two Motorola patents. It did not name a specific Apple device but the ruling appeared to cover most Apple devices. Hours later, the CNET technology news website quoted Apple saying, 'It does not affect our ability to do business or sell products in Germany at this time.' The US company said its German sales were conducted by a separate legal entity, Apple Germany. Google, creator of the Android operating system, and Apple, which makes the iPhone and iPad, are fighting over alleged patent breaches. Apple called the verdict a 'procedural issue' only. No explanation of the judgement's implications was available Saturday from the regional court in Mannheim. The parties to the case were Motorola Mobility Inc and Apple Inc, both of the United States. Florian Mueller, a German patents expert who broke the news of the ruling Friday, said it was significant Apple had used the words 'at this time,' suggesting Apple might be vulnerable to a prohibition on selling in Europe's biggest market at a later time. The patents under dispute relate to transmissions of communication signals and synchronizing data among groups of recipients. Google's acquisition of Motorola is believed to be motivated by a desire to obtain ownership of patents that could be used to counter Apple in the courts. Apple has sued worldwide against manufacturers which employ Android, including Samsung, HTC and Motorola.