Apple forced to remove iPad, iPhone from online store in Germany

The iPad 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 has been pulled from Apple’s online store in Germany, following a spat with Motorola Mobility.

The German ruling has found that Apple violates a Motorola-owned GPRS-related patent, which means that the Cupertino company cannot sell the aforementioned products in Germany until the two firms come to a licensing agreement. Luckily for Apple, the iPhone 4S is unaffected by the ruling as it “as it contains a baseband chip from Qualcomm, unlike earlier models that use Infineon chipsets”, The Verge reports.

Speaking to Finanz Nachrichten, an Apple spokesperson said: “Even if some iPad and iPhone models currently available in our online store in Germany are removed our customers will have no problem finding these products in Apple stores or through authorised dealers.”

“Apple will appeal against the injunction because Motorola has repeatedly refused to license the patent on acceptable terms, despite it being declared a so-called industrial patent 7 years ago.”

In a second dispute, Motorola has also won a permanent injunction against Apple’s iCloud service in Germany. This This issue focuses on the email-push service that iCloud provides, and it’s thought that Apple is modifying its service to remove this functionality.

[Source: The Verge]