Acum cateva saptamani v-am spus ca Motorola a obtinut intr-o instanta din Germania o decizie prin care putea interzice vanzarile de iDevice-uri in Europa. Ei bine astazi a fost data o hotarare si in privinta acelei cereri formulate de Motorola si din pacate compania din Apple ar putea fi obligata sa opreasca vanzarile de iDevice-uri in Europa. Motorola sustine ca Apple a incalcat doua brevete de inventie privind standardul de telecomunicatii 3G si teoretic orice iPhone sau tableta iPad 3G poate fi scoasa de pe piata.
The ruling states that Apple could modify its products by removing the patented feature so as to steer clear of further infringement. It remains to be seen whether this is a commercially viable option for Apple. This feature could be somewhat fundamental to wireless data transfers in general.
Practic Motorola a castigat procesul in baza acestui brevet de inventie : 1010336 (B1) care este in stransa legatura cu acesta General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Victoria celor de la Motorola le da posibilitatea de interzice sucursalei Apple din Irlanda, prin care se vand iDevice-urile in Europa, sa comercializeze iPhone/iPad 3G pe continentul european. Aceasta decizie este una preliminara insa poate fi impusa de catre Motorola care a depus o cautiune de 100 de milioane de euro in eventualitatea in care Apple va obtine o suspendare a sa.
Apple va face desigur apel impotriva deciziei insa nimeni nu poate spune daca va reusi sa amane sau nu interdictia pe care Motorola o poate impune. Apple are desigur si optiunea de a modifica iDevice-urile astfel incat acestea sa nu incalce brevetul de inventie a celor de la Motorola insa aceasta optiune ar putea fi extrem de costisitoare. In final vom vedea in zilele urmatoare ce decizii vor lua cei de la Apple insa situatia este departe de a fi buna.
UPDATE: Iata si un comunicat de presat al Motorola.
German Court Rules in Favor of Motorola Mobility in Apple Litigation
Court grants Motorola Mobility’s requests for injunction and damages
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Dec. 9, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) (“Motorola Mobility”) today announced that the court in Manheim, Germany (the “Court”) has ruled that Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) European sales company, Ireland-based Apple Sales International, is infringing one of Motorola Mobility’s core cellular communications patents related to data packet transfer technology (GPRS) through its sales of the iPhone and iPad devices. The Court granted Motorola Mobility’s requests for an injunction and damages.
“We are pleased with the court’s ruling. Today’s decision validates Motorola Mobility’s efforts to enforce its patents against Apple’s infringement,” said Scott Offer, senior vice president and general counsel of Motorola Mobility. “Motorola Mobility has worked hard over the years to build an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio that is respected by the telecommunications industry, and we are proud to leverage this portfolio to create differentiated innovations that enhance the user experience. We will continue to take all necessary steps to protect our intellectual property, as the Company’s patent portfolio and licensing agreements with companies both in the U.S. and around the world are critical to our business. We have been negotiating with Apple and offering them reasonable licensing terms and conditions since 2007, and will continue our efforts to resolve our global patent dispute as soon as practicable.”
