Apple cleared on one of seven Samsung patents in Germany

A German judge presiding over one of Samsung's seven patent infringement cases against Apple ruled in favor of the Cupertino company. The patent infringement case involves one of several 3G/UMTS patents held by the Korean manufacturer.

The ruling did not give the reason why the judge rejected Samsung's argument. According to FOSS Patents, the judge either believes Apple did not infringe on the patent or that Samsung exhausted its patent right and Apple, by default, has a license.

The reason behind this decision could affect the outcome of Samsung's remaining claims. If Samsung has exhausted its rights to this patent, it could also see its other 3G/UMTS-based claims thrown out of court, too. If this ruling involves direct infringement, then the remaining 3G/UMTS claims could succeed.

Samsung has the right to appeal the Mannheim Regional Court's ruling to a higher, regional court and, eventually, the Federal Court of Justice. As of right now, it's unclear what Samsung will do.