German court rules Motorola Xoom doesn't violate Apple's iPad desig


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German court rules Motorola Xoom doesn't violate Apple's iPad design patent

Apple filed a stealth lawsuit last summer alleging that the Motorola Xoom violated the design patent that underpins the iPad. While Apple has had some success leveling its big patent gun against Samsung, the same can't be said for Motorola: a German court just declared that the reference Android tablet doesn't infringe on Apple's design claim. The ruling isn't a complete win for Motorola, however, as the court wouldn't invalidate the patent -- it could theoretically be leveled against other tablets in the future. The loss will still sting for Apple, which now has to resort to a multi-touch patent claim (among others) if it wants to make Motorola feel the heat in Mannheim.

Source: Engadget

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Is this device even relevant anymore? I was dated a few months after was brought to the markets. What a waste of the courts time.

I agree it was a waste of time but at least it didn't end up like other cases. As far as being relevant, it definitely isn't very popular but it was still the Android reference tablet and the first "real" Android tablet so losing this case would have made Google and Motorola look very bad. Also it is still a solid device that is going to receive Jelly Bean in a couple of days before even a lot of other tablets receive ICS (Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1)

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A German court Tuesday ruled the Xoom tablet, made by Google Inc.'s (

GOOG) Motorola Mobility, doesn't infringe on the design of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPad, but it rejected a claim made by Motorola that the iPad's design patent is invalid.

Apple initially sued Motorola for allegedly infringing three iPad designs with the Xoom. It sought to have the device banned across Europe.

Although the judges ruled Motorola's Xoom doesn't infringe on the iPad, the court rejected a counterclaim brought by Motorola alleging the iPad's design patent is invalid, a spokesman for the court said.

As the court ultimately rejected both parties' claims, it ordered Apple to pay two-thirds of costs and Motorola to pay a third, the spokesman added.

Neither Apple nor Motorola immediately responded to an emailed request for comment.

During two hearings prior to the ruling, the presiding judge had indicated the court was leaning in Motorola's favor. Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann said in March that the court considered the evenly bent back and shaped edges on the front of the Xoom tablet sufficient to give the product individual character.

The Duesseldorf courts have heard a number of cases concerning the iPad in recent months. Apple succeeded in getting two tablets made by South Korea'sSamsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) banned in Germany last year, and it is trying to get two more banned across Europe at the city's highest court.

Design infringement is just one category in the ongoing intellectual property disputes between major technology players in Germany and around the world.

Apple is suing both Motorola and Samsung in a different court in Mannheim for alleged infringement of a patent related to multi-touch enabled devices.

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