German court throws out two suits in Apple-Samsung patent spat

A German court has thrown out a third lawsuit Samsung recently filed against Apple regarding a 3G patent, along with one of two slide-to-unlock suits Apple filed against Samsung, FOSS Patents reported on Friday. Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court ruled that Samsung’s standard-essential patent covers a method of computing a certain mathematical result, however the specifications of 3G/UMTS don’t require a phone to perform said computation. Therefore, a handset merely uses the result and while Samsung may own the path to get there, it doesn’t necessarily own the destination. Judge Voss has previously dismissed two other 3G/UMTS suits filed by Samsung. Read on for more.
The second patent in question, which covers Apple’s slide-to-unlock technology, describes a smartphone user’s ability to unlock a device “by performing gestures on an unlock image.” It covers the concept of moving an image along a pre-defined path with one’s finger. Like the dismissal of Samsung’s 3G patent suit, Apple’s claim was dismissed because the judge determined Samsung’s unlock mechanism it differentiated enough that it does not infringe Apple’s patent. The decision does not, however, have any bearing on Apple’s other slide-to-unlock-related complaint that is pending against Samsung, with a ruling scheduled for March 16th.

Posted in: Apple,Samsung