Apple has stopped selling the iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 through its online store in Germany following a ruling that the company is violating wireless communication patents owned by Motorola. Apple’s online store also stopped sales of the iPad 2 with 3G support.
Apple pulls some iOS devices from Germany over injunction
Pulling the 3G-enabled devices from the Apple online store follows a December ruling that awarded Motorola an injunction blocking the sale of the devices in Germany. The iPhone 4S isn’t included in the injunction because it shipped after Motorola filed its case with the German court.
In a statement to SlashGear, Apple said,
While some iPad and iPhone models are not available through Apple’s online store in Germany right now, customers should have no problem finding them at one of our retail stores or an authorized reseller. Apple is appealing this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.
Apple and Motorola have been fighting in the German courts over patent infringement claims related to mobile devices with this injunction coming as just the latest turn in their ongoing fight.
Apple’s patent battle in Germany with Samsung, however, is going better. The Cupertino company has managed to win an injunction blocking the sale of some Android-based Galaxy Tab devices including the 10.1 and 8.9 tablets.
Apple lost its effort to get the Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet banned in Germany — the model Samsung built specifically to work around Apple’s injunction.
Apple plans to work to convince the German court to overturn the injunction.