Last night an American judge of the ITC decided that Apple does not infringe on a Motorola patent that covers the technology based on which a screen closes when a smartphone is close to the ear. Motorola argued that Apple infringes 6 patents in its iOS, and last night's decision closes a series of 5 other decisions favorable to those from Cupertino. In front of the court, Apple supported the idea that this function is logical and its implementation in a mobile terminal was as normal as possible, the ITC agreeing and rejecting Motorola's claims based on the fact that the technology has no elements of novelty and uniqueness.
The decision marks the latest instance in which neither Cupertino, California-based Apple nor Google has been able to strike a decisive blow against its competitor in a squabble that began more than two years ago. Each has claimed the other is infringing patents, and Apple accused Motorola Mobility of breaching obligations to license some of its most widely used technology on fair terms.
Despite the fact that Motorola did not win the case in any of the 6 claims made before the ITC, it is very likely that an appeal will be made for this last decision. Apple has so far won against those from Motorola both in the first instance and in the appeal, and winning the appeal is only a logical consequence of the fact that Motorola's patents cannot be imposed against someone.
