US judge dismisses Apple, Motorola patent suit

An American judge has dismissed lawsuits lodged by Apple and Motorola against each other for copyright infringement. "To suggest that (Apple) has suffered loss of market share, brand recognition, or customer goodwill as a result of Motorola's alleged infringement of the patent claims still in play in this case is wild conjecture," Judge Richard Posner wrote in a 38-page ruling issued from a federal appeals court in Chicago. "The parties have failed to present enough evidence to create a triable issue," added the judge, who also threw out a similar suit against Apple by Motorola Mobility unit, now a Google subsidiary. The cross-firing complaints were filed in October 2010. Apple -- the manufacturer behind the iPhone -- accused Motorola of violating patents related to multifunction phones, particularly with regard to touchscreen technology. Motorola's suit addressed Apple's iPhone, the iPad tablet, iPod Touch and select computers of violating 18 patents, targeting in particular the Apple Store, an application vendor, and the service MobileMe, which allows Apple product users to synchronize calendars, address books, email and more across various gadgets. Posner's decision is likely to end similar suits the companies have lodged against each other in other American courts, but the legal battle continues in various other countries.