Reuters is reporting today that Google has issued a statement that a Wisconsin federal court has decided to dismiss Apple’s patent lawsuit with “prejudice”. The case was brought on by Apple in part to determine what the courts would consider fair and reasonable licensing terms for the patent portfolio owned by Google subsidiary Motorola.
Reuters explained the case being dismissed with prejudice means it is officially over at the trial court level. However, Apple can still appeal: “Dismissal of a case with prejudice means the case is over at the trial court level, though it can be appealed…Apple could not immediately be reached for comment.”
The decision follows reports last week that the Federal Trade Commission staff had issued a formal recommendation to sue Google over a violation of antitrust law, in its attempts to block access by competitors to key smartphone technology patents.
Google’s statement said that it is still interested in making a deal with Apple, “at a reasonable and non-discriminatory rate in line with industry standards.” Also saying that it was pleased that the court had dismissed Apple’s lawsuit with prejudice.
