Motorola poate bloca utilizarea iCloud si vanzarile de iDevice-uri in Germania

  Astazi compania Motorola a castigat un proces foarte important impotriva companiei Apple iar in baza hotararii date de judecator poate bloca comercializarea iDevice-urilor in Germania. Motorola a sustinut ca unul dintre brevetele sale de inventie numit multiple pager status synchronization system and method este incalcat in tehnologia implementata de catre Apple in iDevice-urile sale care utilizeaza iCloud. O instanta din Mannheim, Germania, a fost de acord inca de anul trecut cu pretentiile celor de la Motorola si Apple a pierdut deja de 2 ori in tentativa de a castiga acest proces iar decizia de astazi poate fi impusa de Motorola numai in Germania. Practic Motorola poate obliga Apple Irlanda, compania care se ocupa cu distributia iDevice-urilor in Europa, sa sisteze comercializarea de iDevice-uri catre Germania insa numai daca plateste o cautiune de 100 de milioane de euro.

This morning, Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court pronounced a decision on a German Motorola Mobility lawsuit against Apple Sales International, Apple’s Ireland-based European sales organization. Motorola won a permanent injunction against Apple’s iCloud and any devices that can access it. Note that even though today’s decision enjoins Apple’s European distribution arm, the scope of the injunction is not Europe-wide: the Irish entity has to respect it as far as the German market is concerned (for example, it’s the contractual partner of customers buying Apple products from Apple’s German online store).

  In momentul de fata iCloud-ul celor de la Apple incalca brevete de inventie detinute de Motorola si in Germania compania Motorola poate bloca vanzarile de iDevice-uri daca plateste cautiunea de 100 de milioane de euro si este de acord sa plateasca eventuale daune in cazul in care un apel formulat impotriva deciziei va fi castigat definitiv de Apple. Compania din Cupertino a cerut plata unei cautiuni de 2 miliarde de dolari pentru impunerea acestei interdictii, considerand ca acestea sunt pierderile pe care le va suferi. Instanta din Germania a considerat ca suma de 100 de milioane de euro este suficnenta pentru o impunere preliminara a interdictiei insa totul depinde de Motorola.

Today’s judgment is appealable (which is why it’s only “preliminarily enforceable”), and it’s a given that Apple will appeal this to the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court. The term “preliminary enforceable” means that Motorola can seek its enforcement anytime now if it posts a 100 million euro bond, but if an appeals court overturns the ruling, Motorola will be liable for premature enforcement of an improperly-granted injunction. In that case, Motorola will owe whatever damages are determined later. The 100 million euro bond is neither a minimum amount nor a ceiling for that event. It’s just the amount the court believes Motorola should guarantee. Apple had argued that the appropriate bond amount should be two billion euros.

  Motorola putea bloca vanzarile de iDevice-uri in Germania inca de acum cateva luni de zile insa a ales sa astepte inainte de a lua o asemenea decizie si este posibil ca in zilele/saptamanile urmatoare sa impuna hotararea data de instanta din Germania. Ce se va intampla vom afla in curand insa este clar ca Apple va lupta in continuare pentru castigarea procesului.