German Court Sides with Motorola in Patent Suit

The Mannheim Regional Court has ruled that Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Motorola Mobility division does not infringe on a patent held by Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) that enables applications to work on different handsets. Microsoft can appeal the decision, but has not commented on whether it will.

Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Howard said: “It remains that Motorola is broadly infringing Microsoft’s intellectual property, and we hope it will join the vast majority of Android device makers by licensing Microsoft’s patents.”

Today’s decision will not impact three injunctions Microsoft already has been awarded against Motorola products in Germany. Two weeks ago, a Munich court ruled in Microsoft’s favor in a patent infringement suit. As a result of these rulings, smartphones and tablets with the disputed technology, including the Motorola Atrix, the Droid Razr and the Droid Razr Maxx, are no longer available on the German market.

Germany has become a hotbed in the global patent squabbles between makers of mobile phones, tablet computer devices and their operating software because court actions in the nation have proved relatively inexpensive and quicker than in other jurisdictions.

Microsoft also has an injunction against Motorola in the United States, where the International Trade Commission ruled that Motorola infringes on one patent. That ruling prohibits Motorola from importing infringing products into the U.S.