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German court puts a pause on Apple vs Samsung slide-to-unlock patent proceedings

Another day, another Apple patent case. Not to be overshadowed by the big news from Apple and its new iPad, Apple ploughed on with its patent wars this time with one of its favourite nemeses; Samsung.

 Slide-to-unlock feature on an Apple iPhone 

While many were flocking to the shops to pick up an iPad yesterday, a court in Mannheim, Germany, deliberated over Apple’s second slide-to-unlock lawsuit against Samsung. According to FOSS Patents, the German court has put a pause on the proceedings as the German Patent and Trademark Office takes a final look over the validity of Apple’s case.

The reason for this pause lies in the type of patent Apple owns, which is a utility model. This type of patent is quick to be approved, but not fully examined by the patent office and therefore is not presumed to be valid by the courts.

Samsung recently lost its last court case with Apple over the same slide-to-unlock feature a couple of weeks ago in the same German court in Mannheim.

This bitter war between the tech companies continues and it may feel a bit like there is no end in sight, but we hope that the German courts will nip it in the bud in the not too distant future. We hope that the new iPad doesn’t spark a new round of lawsuits and we will of course keep you updated

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