By Dan Levine
Dec 18 (Reuters) - Google's Motorola Mobility unit cannot
assert a patent against Apple Inc which covers a sensor that
stops phone users from dialing wrong numbers on touchscreen
devices, a U.S. trade judge ruled.
In an entry on the U.S. International Trade Commission
docket on Tuesday, Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender ruled
the Motorola patent invalid.
"We're disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our
options," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
Apple has been litigating around the world against various
manufacturers of phones that operate on Google's Android
operating system. Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5
billion this year, partly for its library of telecommunications
patents.
The ITC, a U.S. trade panel that investigates patent
infringement involving imported goods, is a popular venue for
patent lawsuits because it can bar the importation of infringing
products and because it issues decisions relatively quickly.
In August, the commission found that Apple had not violated
three other Motorola patents, and ordered Pender to further
examine the touchscreen sensor patent. The full ITC will now
review Pender's latest ruling.
The case in the ITC is In the Matter of Certain Wireless
Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing
Devices, Computers and Components Thereof, 337-745.
Follow us on Twitter @ReutersLegal | Like us on Facebook