German court rules against chip maker in latest global dispute with iPhone maker

By Sara Germano 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (January 16, 2019).

BERLIN -- A German court dismissed a patent lawsuit from Qualcomm Inc. against Apple Inc., the first setback in the country for the chip maker in a dispute that resulted last month in the ban of some iPhone sales in China and Germany.

The regional court in the city of Mannheim said Tuesday that a patent-infringement case brought by Qualcomm was unfounded, though the chip maker can appeal the decision. The ruling is the first of six patent cases brought by Qualcomm in Mannheim, with the second such decision expected next month, a spokesman for the court said. It wasn't immediately clear whether or how Tuesday's decision would affect other patent cases brought by Qualcomm.

The decision is the first win for Apple in a series of global patent disputes launched against it by Qualcomm, following rulings last month in Munich and Fuzhou, China, that ordered Apple to stop selling some older iPhone models in their respective jurisdictions.

Apple said at the time that it would appeal both decisions. The company also said it would remove affected iPhone models from its stores in Germany during the process, though its full portfolio of smartphones would remain on sale in China. The newest iPhone models -- including the XS, XS Max, and XR -- weren't affected by those rulings.

In Tuesday's ruling the court determined that Apple hadn't infringed on Qualcomm's patent by installing the company's chips in its iPhones.

"The Mannheim court interpreted one aspect of our patent very narrowly, saying that because a voltage inside a part of an iPhone wasn't constant, the patent wasn't infringed. We strongly disagree and will appeal," Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel for Qualcomm, said in a statement. He added that "Apple has a history of infringing our patents," citing last month's rulings in Germany and China.

"We are happy with the decision and thank the court for their time and diligence," a spokesman for Apple said. "We regret Qualcomm's use of the court to divert attention from their illegal behavior that is the subject of multiple lawsuits and proceedings around the world."

The continuing legal disputes date to a suit Apple launched in January 2017 against Qualcomm and have expanded to several patent disputes in the U.S., China and Germany. Qualcomm is also facing a continuing antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S.

Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 16, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

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