Apple’s Slide To Unlock Patent Invalidated By German Court

The Federal Patent Court of Germany has invalidated all claims of Apple’s slide to unlock patent, and rules that none of the 14 amendments that Apple has suggested for salvaging the patent are valid. A bench of five judges, headed by Judge Vivian Sredl, made this ruling after a full day hearing. At least two of the judges on the bench are reported to have engineering backgrounds. It doesn’t end here though, Apple will be appealing this decision at the Federal Court of Justice. It is being reported that Apple, Samsung and Google knew that the Federal Patent Court was probably going to invalidate this patent.

This patent invalidation means a victory for Samsung and Motorola Mobility, though the final outcome can be changed if the appeal turns in Apple’s favor. For now, Apple’s patent EP 1964022 on “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image” are invalid as granted. The court ruled that software such as the one described in the patent does not meet technicity requirement under European patent law, therefore Apple’s patent can not stand. Under U.S. patent law, there’s no such thing as a technicity requirement.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: motorola mobility, patents, Samsung