A Double-Edged Win for Apple in Patent Dispute with Motorola By Brent Kendall and Don Clark April 25,

2014 A federal appeals court on Friday revived some Apple Inc. patent infringement claims against Motorola Mobility, but the ruling could deal a blow to a separate case the iPhone maker is pressing against Samsung Electronics Co. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday gave Apple a new chance to press legal claims against Motorola, ruling a trial court misconstrued an Apple patent related to touchscreen technology. The court also ruled a trial judge wrongly excluded expert testimony at trial in which both Apple and Motorola were seeking to make claims the other owed monetary damages for patent infringement. Motorola Mobility is a unit of Google Inc. Lenovo Group is in the process of buying Motorolas handset business. The appeals court, however, rejected Apples preferred interpretation of another one its patents, adopting a narrower interpretation of the invention covered by the patent. That patent, which deals with recognizing and processing certain data on a touchscreen, is also at issue in a high-stakes trial under way in San Jose, Calif., the second in that courtroom in which Apple has alleged that Samsung mobile devices infringe its patents. In the latest case, Apple is seeking $2.2 billion from Samsung for infringing five patents. Samsung has countered by saying that Apple infringed two of its patents and is seeking $7 million. Florian Mueller, an intellectual-property consultant who has closely followed the case, said Fridays appeals court ruling was a huge blow to Apples case against Samsung. Motorola Mobility declined to comment. Apple didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.