A German court ruled on Tuesday that the Motorola Xoom tablet does not infringe on Apple’s patented iPad design. Motorola’s courtroom victory isn’t considered a major blow to Apple, as the Xoom has not had an impact on sales of the iPad.
Apple’s lawsuit against Motorola was dismissed and Apple was denied its request to ban sales of the Xoom throughout the European Union, according to the Associated press. The Dusseldorf court also denied Motorola’s request to invalidate Apple’s community design rights for the iPad, which protect the distinctive appearance of products.
A key Apple-Motorola dispute remains with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The ITC issued an initial ruling in April that said Apple violated one of four Motorola Mobility patents. The ITC hasn’t yet reviewed the ruling, which is related to a Motorola Wi-Fi patent, but the decision could lead to an import ban on Apple products that are using Motorola technology.
Motorola first sued Apple in 2010, alleging infringement on a list of wireless communications patents. Apple filed a countersuit with the ITC but the commission cleared Motorola of any wrongdoing in March.