Court order threatens sales of Motorola devices in Germany, including the Moto X

By Williams Pelegrin July 11, 2014

Motorola began selling its customizable Moto X handset in Germany last week, marking the first time people who live outside of the U.S. can access Motorola’s Moto Maker store. However, a court order looks to stop the sale of Motorola devices in Germany.

At the center of the court order is German laser engineering firm LPKF, which alleged that Motorola violated an antenna design patent. More specifically, the patent involves the process of placing the antenna onto a curved plastic design. A preliminary ruling by the Mannheim Regional Court went against Motorola Mobility USA and Motorola Deutschland, with the ruling prohibiting the sales of Motorola smartphones in Germany. The devices include the Moto G and Moto X, with Motorola even having to recall infringing devices, according to the ruling.

However, even though LPKF won its case in Germany, Motorola will likely appeal the ruling due to the same patent having been declared invalid in China. LPKF CEO Dr. Ingo Bretthauer said the company will continue to defend its patent.

“The more attractive a patent is, the harder you have to work to defend it,” said the CEO. “We will continue our fight for our patent in China and systematically take action against infringers outside China.”

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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