German Court Rules that Motorola Must Recall All Android Tablets and Smartphones

[dgstorm]

Apple's global patent war against the various Android manufacturers has heated up once again. This time, it's Motorola in Apple's crosshairs. A German court just handed down a devastating verdict against Motorola for infringing on Apple's "rubber-band" scrolling patent. This was also one of the key patents in Apple's fight versus Samsung in California recently. The court ruled that Motorola Mobility owed Apple damages for past infringement, but the most damaging blow was that the court ordered Motorola to recall all of their Android tablets and smartphones from Germany. Here's a quote with the most important details of this story,

The dramatic decision, the latest in an escalating war between Apple and the smartphone and set-top box company MMI, follows earlier cases in which Apple had to disable automatic "push" delivery of email to its iPhone and iPads after MMI won a separate patent fight in Germany.

The recall will not take effect immediately because Apple will have to request a ban on specific products and provide a €25m (£20m) bond, while MMI can appeal.

However, the court indicated that it was unlikely that an appeal against the validity of the patent would succeed. MMI, with Google's backing, is expected to continue the appeal.

The court also ruled that MMI owed Apple damages for past infringement.

Even if Apple succeeds in forcing a recall, it is unlikely to seriously damage MMI's business worldwide. But it is another brick in a patent wall that Apple is building up against smartphones and tablets using Google's Android operating system worldwide, and particularly in the US and Europe.

Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment.

Judge Peter Guntz said MMI had infringed Apple's "overscroll bounce" technology, which enables users to move documents over the screen of their device and let them bounce back to the centre after releasing their fingers.

These patent wars certainly are mentally exhausting...

Source: TheGuardian

[SquireSCA]

W.

T.

F.

[tgyberg]

Eh, just keep putting out the same boring phone and put all efforts to lawsuits! Yay for everyone!

[Captmilk]

Apple can't get everyone to swallow the iPhone brainwash, so they start suing everyone. They should take a cue from Microsoft and just license their patents. Why can't they accept that not everyone [gets excited] when they touch an iPhone. I said it before and i'll say it again, the iPhone is old technology, in the same category as a walkman or a lazer disc player or even a discman!

[WildcatRudy]

I said it before and i'll say it again, the iPhone is old technology, in the same category as a walkman or a lazer disc player or even a discman!

I would not say old technology, but generic technology. To me it's like a car: it's pretty hard to build a car without it doing functionally all the same things. If apple made cars and had their way, they'd probably try to sue for dash-mounted information screens, music playback, or even the turn signal stalk. Let's face it--smartphones are so accepted around the world and share so many similar ideas and technologies that to me, I consider all of them to be rather "generic." At least on our side of the fence, we have some individuality and pick phones that suit our needs and personalities. We shouldn't deny the Jesusphone crowd their own uniqueness either; however, we do not need their generic products forced on us by the courts.

This patent thing has gotten way too out of hand. They need more like Judge Posner out there, shooting down disputes with prejudice. Not judges like Koh who come across as being on apple's payroll...

[orangechoochoo]

I can't wait for Apple to be hit with a multi-billion dollar judgment and a ban on the new iPhone5.

[Captmilk]

I would not say old technology, but generic technology. To me it's like a car: it's pretty hard to build a car without it doing functionally all the same things. If apple made cars and had their way, they'd probably try to sue for dash-mounted information screens, music playback, or even the turn signal stalk. Let's face it--smartphones are so accepted around the world and share so many similar ideas and technologies that to me, I consider all of them to be rather "generic." At least on our side of the fence, we have some individuality and pick phones that suit our needs and personalities. We shouldn't deny the Jesusphone crowd their own uniqueness either; however, we do not need their generic products forced on us by the courts.

This patent thing has gotten way too out of hand. They need more like Judge Posner out there, shooting down disputes with prejudice. Not judges like Koh who come across as being on apple's payroll...

They are selling 2011 Tech in a new box. Also they are just now releasing a 4G phone. In the computer world, when you buy lets say a laptop, the day you bring it home it's old tech, especially a year later. i'm just saying that a year after the 4GS came out and what are they pushing now the almost same thing with 4G----weak

[MissionImprobable]

Ridiculous. Further still, how do you assess damages for something like that? Is the court really going to accept the claim that people bought Moto devices and not Apple because of bounce back scrolling, or that something that simple even has a dollar value? It's become clear that those German courts see things very differently than the rest of the world.

Apple, you suck.

[quaffapint]

Apple, you suck.

^this

[tyvin]

Bill Gates comes to mind when I first heard about Apple and Samsung...you know the Microsoft/monopoly thing etc... Well; if Apple kicks everyone out and corners the market making it impossible for others to compete isn't that a monopoly. I was on Gate's side back then but I hope someone gets smart and brings a lawsuit against Apple. That's like Mesopotamia bringing a lawsuit against Egypt for creating things with a wheel. The wheel may have been first created in Mesopotamia but what right after a certain amount of time has passed does Mesopotamia get to hold on the idea of the wheel. Everyone's seen the wheel so why can't they use the wheel for creating items that bring pleasure to all mankind?

I know...I got up too early