A Manheim regional court in Germany today threw out two patent disputes between Samsungand Apple: the first regarding Apple’s infrigement on Samsung’s 3G/UMTS technology, the second regarding Samsung’s use of slide-to-unlock gesutres on its devices. The ruling against Samsung is the third in a row in Germany, while the ruling against Apple is the first of two, the second scheduled for a March 16 hearing.
The court decision comes just a few weeks after a Munich court ruled that Motorola had indeed infringed upon Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents, resulting in alterations being made to Motorola’s unlock feature.
Today’s ruling is just a drop in the bucket, as there is upwards of at least 14 disputes between Samsung and Apple pending in Germany, with more waging around the world. Samsung has already promised to appeal today’s decision, while Apple will likely do the same.
The back-and-forth between Apple and other manufacturers is far from over, though it is refreshing to see a judge as fed up with it as everyone else is. With Apple, Samsung, Motorola and HTC all slated to release some heavy-hitting devices in the coming months, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the war rages on.
