Today was supposed to be the day that another trial would be kicking off between two major mobile companies in Apple and Motorola, but thanks to the judge in the case, that trial will no longer go down. Judge Barbara B. Crabb in Wisconsin has decided to toss out a case between Apple and the Google-owned Motorola after deciding that there was no point to holding a trial. The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means that the only way that Apple can keep this particular fight going is with an appeal, FOSS Patents explains. Motorola confirmed the dismissal in a statement to AllThingsD, saying that it's still interested in reaching a deal with Apple. The company's full statement:
“We’re pleased that the court has dismissed Apple’s lawsuit with prejudice. Motorola has long offered licensing to our extensive patent portfolio at a reasonable and non-discriminatory rate in line with industry standards. We remain interested in reaching an agreement with Apple.”
There's been no comment on the judge's decision from Apple yet. Interestingly, this isn't the first time that an Apple-Motorola legal battle has been thrown out by a judge. Judge Richard Posner decided to cancel a trial between the two firms back in June, then scheduled another hearing to give Apple and Motorola one more chance to make their arguments before ultimately dismissing the case entirely. While there are still a number of legal battles going on in the mobile world, today we can cross one off of the list. If Apple decides to issue a statement on today's decision, or opts to appeal it (which wouldn't be a shock), we'll give you a heads-up.
Via FOSS Patents, AllThingsD
