FRANKFURT, Oct 5 (Reuters) – Mobile phone maker Motorola
achieved a rare victory against software giant Microsoft
in a patent case before a German court on Friday, the
latest in a wave of patent lawsuits by technology firms fighting
over market share.
The regional court in Mannheim ruled that Motorola Mobility,
part of Google, did not infringe a Microsoft patent
which enables applications to work on different handsets.
This allows application developers to avoid writing separate
codes for each handset saving time and development costs.
Germany has become a major battleground in the global patent
war between makers of mobile phones, tablet computer devices and
their operating software because court actions there have proved
relatively cheap and quicker than in other jurisdictions.
Microsoft has won three patent cases against Motorola in
Germany. As a result of these rulings, smartphones with the
disputed technology are no longer available on the German
market.
“This decision does not impact multiple injunctions
Microsoft has already been awarded and has enforced against
Motorola products in Germany,” said David Howard, associate
general counsel at Microsoft.
Google bought lossmaking Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion
last year, in its largest acquisition ever, aiming to use the
company’s patents to fend off legal challenges against its
Android mobile platform and expand beyond its software business.
Other technology companies have also invested billions of
dollars in buying up patent portfolios that they can use against
rivals.
Motorola could not immediately be reached for comment.
