The judge has closed the patent case between Apple and Motorola because neither party has presented enough evidence that damage has been suffered. The decision is final: the companies cannot submit new claims.
Judge Richard Posner’s decision did not take much of the arguments of both sides’ legal teams, criticizing the lack of preparation and inability to provide sufficient evidence. He also could not understand Motorola’s claims that Apple infringed patents, which describe technology that is incorporated in standards and therefore fall under ‘fringe’, or fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory.
At the time, Motorola agreed to drop the patent in question under frand conditions, allowing companies to pay relatively low royalties for a license. “Then how can we stop Apple from using an invention it needs if it wants to make a phone with UMTS functionality. Without it it wouldn’t be a phone,” Posner said. The ruling could have implications for other patent cases related to technology subject to frand conditions.
Nevertheless, the decision is seen as a victory for Motorola and therefore for Google. “We are pleased that Judge Posner has formally dismissed the Motorola Mobility case. Apple’s campaign began with their attempt to invoke 15 patents against us. As it relates to Apple’s infringement of our patents, we remain committed to developing our own inventions. protect,” a Motorola spokesperson told All Things D. Apple has not yet commented on the decision. The two sides started suing each other in 2010 for patent infringement.