Motorola was dealt a major setback today when a German court ruled that most of Motorola’s products infringe on Apple’s slide to unlock patent. This patent covers the process of swiping on an image to unlock a device.
According to a report at FOSS patents, the ruling is a permanent injunction that Apple could choose to enforce. Motorola has the right to appeal and told the BBC that it will pursue this course of action. It also said the decision will have no impact on future supply or sales. Motorola claims it has implemented a new slide-to-unlock design that will circumnavigate Apple’s patent.
Despite Motorola’s confidence. Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents calls this decision a “very significant win for Apple against Android”. Though this ruling only affects Motorola in Germany, Mueller points out that Apple is also using this patent against Samsung in another German case. A win against Motorola could result in a win against Samsung and embolden Apple to use this patent against other manufacturers.
[Via FOSS Patents and BBC]