Apple, Motorola in patent struggle in Germany

Internet store in Germany, the latest twist in an extended legal duel over patents between the companies, The Sydney Morning Herald writes.

The sale of the devices was briefly halted after Motorola Mobility enforced a ruling it won against Ireland-based Apple Sales International, from a court in Mannheim, Germany.

Motorola moved to enforce the decision and Apple announced on Thursday that it was halting online sales, USA Today says. A few hours later, Apple said it had won a suspension from an appeals court in Karlsruhe.

"All iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple's online store in Germany shortly," Apple said in a statement. "Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to licence this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago."

Florian Mueller, an intellectual property consultant who has been reporting on the cases on his blog FOSS Patents, said the wording of the Karlsruhe decision only suspends enforcement of the decision until the court can hear a response from Motorola, IBN Live notes.

"This is a very, very temporary suspension," said Mueller. "Apple could be in the same situation again a week or two down the road."