The Register®

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/16/apple_slide_to_unlock_delayed/

Apple slide-to-unlock spat with Samsung hits the buffers

Mannheim wants Munich to make up its mind

By Brid-Aine Parnell

Posted in Law, 16th March 2012 12:58 GMT

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

A judge in Germany has put the brakes on Apple's complaint that Samsung copied its slide-to-unlock technology while awaiting the outcome of a separate lawsuit progressing elsewhere in the country.

The court in Mannheim announced it won't be doing any more legal stuff on the smartphone feature until proceedings in Munich have reached a conclusion, Reuters reported [1].

Although the Mannheim court rejected a lawsuit over the patent [2] on slide-to-unlock, it is currently unravelling a dispute over the "utility model", which is like a patent but has a shorter lifespan and is less stringent.

Apple claims it has the monopoly on sliding-to-unlock and has already won a permanent injunction [3] against Motorola Mobility with the patent in Germany; this decision can be appealed and there's been no sign of Apple enforcing the ban yet.

The decisions are merely the latest in the long line of tit-for-tat intellectual property infringement cases between Apple and Android smartphone manufacturers. Neither side is emerging as the clear winner yet.

However the Android half has attracted the scrutiny of regulators [4] for using its standards-essential patents as ammo in the war. Despite this probing, which could hamstring the Android manufacturers, signs are emerging [5] that Apple and its rivals may consider settling the cases and getting on with the business of making new phones and fondleslabs - something everyone who's not a patent lawyer is hoping for. ®