Apple Wins Dismissal of $2.2 Billion German Patent Suit

Apple won the dismissal of a 1.57 billion-euro ($2.2 billion) lawsuit in Germany over technology used to decide priority for calls in mobile networks.

Apple doesn’t infringe two patents asserted by IPCom GmbH, a court in Mannheim ruled, without giving the reasoning for its decision. HTC also won dismissal of a related IPCom claim over one of the patents. The rulings are a blow to Munich-based patent holding company IPCom which has sued mobile-device makers over technology it acquired from Robert Bosch GmbH in 2007. The “100” series patents, which also apply methods helping to place emergency calls, are the central piece of its portfolio. IPCom, which doesn’t make any products, is one of a group of firms that license its patents and file lawsuits to generate revenue, earning the moniker “patent trolls” from its targets.