Just one week ago and in the midst of the Apple vs Samsung trial, Motorola Mobility filed patent infringement claims against Apple and was wanting an important ban on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. Seven patents in total were supposedly infringed upon, all the way from email notifications, to location reminders, even Siri itself. We haven’t heard anything back on that yet.
Apparently, Motorola also went after them for something else as well and unfortunately, that injunction will have to be delayed after the ITC found that one of the patents had to do with a non-standard essential patent. That patent itself is a “sensor controlled user interface for portable communication device.” Because of this, the ITC has decided that there needs to be further investigation which is why they’ll be bringing in Administrative Law Judge Thomas B. Pender.
Apple’s win last week sent a ripple across the technology industry and likely has Android manufacturers a little bit on the edge. Their patents, as well as design patents, were upheld in a court of law and because of that, Samsung had to pay over $1 Billion. Motorola has a slew of patents and as they say, two can play that game. While a slight delay doesn’t sound too bad, it could be.
Since the patent in question is subject to review by the ITC, the whole process could take upwards of one year. Damages caused by those devices would no longer be relevant as the iPhone and iPad would continue to sell in the states. We’ll see what happens and maybe Apple will get a taste of their own medicine.