(Reuters) - Google's Motorola Mobility unit cannot assert a patent against Apple Inc which covers a sensor that stops phone users from dialing wrong numbers on touchscreen devices, a U.S. trade judge ruled.
In an entry on the U.S. International Trade Commission docket on Tuesday, Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender ruled the Motorola patent invalid.
"We're disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our options," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
Apple has been
litigating around the world against various manufacturers of phones that
operate on Google's Android operating system. Google acquired Motorola
Mobility for $12.5 billion this year, partly for its library of
telecommunications patents.
The ITC, a U.S. trade panel that investigates patent infringement
involving imported goods, is a popular venue for patent lawsuits
because it can bar the importation of infringing products and because it
issues decisions relatively quickly.
In August, the commission found that Apple had not violated three other Motorola
patents, and ordered Pender to further examine the touchscreen sensor
patent. The full ITC will now review Pender's latest ruling.
The case in the ITC
is In the Matter of Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Portable
Music and Data Processing Devices, Computers and Components Thereof,
337-745.
Resource : Yahoo News
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