Apple Wins Patent Victory in Germany Though Google May Have Option for Unlocking Method on Android Mobile Device
February 21, 2012
By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor
Apple has won a recent legal victory in a German court over the method to unlock a mobile device – but Google (News - Alert) may have some other options up its sleeves for unlocking Android devices.
The German court ruled that Motorola Mobility’s Android Operating System phones violated Apple's patent when “using a slide motion to unlock the screen on a mobile device,” according to a report from The Register. Motorola will appeal the ruling, The Register adds. The ruling could lead to other phones – also using the Android (News - Alert) OS in Germany – to be in violation of the patent, according to The Register.
Meanwhile, news has been released that Google filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office an application which includes a “slide-to-unlock” method that lets users perform at least one command. The patent application also mentions a voice-recognition-to-unlock method, The Register (News - Alert) said. Google submitted paperwork on August 6, 2010, less than two weeks before Apple was given its slide-to-unlock patent on August 17, 2010, according to news reports.
The Register explains that Google's patent application uses touch to “take a computer device from a locked to an unlocked state.” It could also give “relief for Motorola, Samsung (News - Alert) and HTC” from “Apple's persistent lawsuits over the feature,” The Register adds. According to a news report from CNET, “since Apple already owns a slide-to-unlock patent, it appears that the added functionality might be Google's way of securing this patent.”
In response to the Germany court ruling, a Motorola spokesperson told CNET that “Motorola has implemented a new design for the feature. Therefore, we expect no impact on current supply or future sales."
Meanwhile, Google may soon close its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility – which has many patents. The purchase was approved recently by the European Union and U.S. regulators, TMCnet reported. Other approvals are needed from Asian nations, TMCnet adds. Approval from Chinese regulators was said to be the “biggest stumbling block remaining,” The Associated Press (News - Alert) said in a report carried on TMCnet.
Ed Silverstein is a TMCnet contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by Rich Steeves