Apple sues Motorola Mobility over Qualcomm license

Apple sued Motorola Mobility in a US court in an attempt to stop Motorola from asserting some patent claims against Apple in Germany, according to the lawsuit.

The suit, filed in a San Diego federal court, argues that Motorola's German lawsuit against Apple breaches terms of a patent licensing agreement between Motorola and Qualcomm. Apple accused Motorola of pursuing an aggressive international campaign of litigation that "flies in the face" of its promise to license standards essential patents on fair and reasonable terms. "Despite owning scores of standards essential patents, Apple has never asserted a standard essential patent in litigation," it said. Apple says that as a Qualcomm customer, Apple is a third-party beneficiary of Motorola's agreement with Qualcomm. Under that agreement, Motorola's rights under certain patents are exhausted, Apple argues. The case in U.S. District Court, Southern District of California is Apple Inc. and Apple Sales International v. Motorola Mobility Inc., 12-cv-355.