Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has won the case filed by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (NYSE:MMI) Unit regarding a patent, which according to Motorola Mobility Unit, was held by the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) regarding phone sensors, reports Bloomberg.
The judgment was maintained by the US International Trade Commission in Washington, which said that the patent issue filed by Motorola Mobility Unit is invalid but for different reasons. The sensor that prevents the phone from hanging up or starting any application when the phone is held near the person’s face is covered under the patent.
The decision came in favor of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the case that has been a tussle between both Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for over two years now. Both companies have accused each other of infringing patents. Apple also accused that Motorola Mobility Unit is not licensing some of its technology on legal terms.
“This is not a surprise because the commission has heretofore not found a violation by Apple in any case as to any claim in any patent,” said Rodney Sweetland, a patent lawyer who specializes in ITC cases.
The case was not just about sensor patent. It also involved Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (NYSE:MMI)’s accusation that Apple has been infringing its patent for third generation wireless technology used by the industry. However, Apple was cleared by ITC of these charges in August.
Regarding the Patent issue, ITC judge Thomas Pender said that the sensor patent issue filed by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) lacks validity since it is not very much different from the earlier inventions. According to Motorola, the sensor technology was not known to engineers in 1999 at the time of filing the patent application. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in turn, said that the sensor has some difference than those used earlier, for preventing any accidental dialing and also touch screen phones have been in the market for past four years.
In fiscal 2012, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) derived revenue of $78.7 billion in sales from all its iPhone models which contributes half of the revenues. China is the country that assembles the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices and is shipped to the United States. The latest iPhone from Apple has become the most sold out phone since it was launched in September. However, the other models like iPhone 4, are also quite popular among the users who want to have an iPhone with a smaller price tag.
The smartphone maker will report its earnings today, and as per the consensus the phone maker will report a decline in profit after almost a decade because of the declining sales and low margins.
