A court in Germany has ordered Motorola to stop selling phones in Germany that infringe on an antenna design patent. The patent, held by German laser engineering firm LPKF, covers what's called "Laser Direct Structuring", which is the process used by many smartphone manufacturers to lay down an antenna design on a curved plastic surface. It's a process used in several Motorola devices, including the Moto G and Moto X.
Moto Maker for the Moto X just last week expanded to Germany, so the preliminary ruling from the Mannheim Regional Court against both Motorola Deutschland and Motorola Mobility USA comes as a blow, though we have no doubt that Motorola is mounting an appeal. The court also ordered Motorola Deutschland to recall phones that infringe on the patent.
LPKF states that their patent on laser direct structuring was declared invalid in China last year, though the Chinese Supreme People's Court has agreed to reopen the patent case for them. In the meantime, "LPKF is systematically taking action against cell phone manufacturers that bring counterfeit LDS components into circulation outside China."
Update: Motorola has chimed in with a brief comment:
"While we are disappointed in the decision, Motorola has taken steps to avoid any interruption in supply."
