2nd UPDATE: German Court Strikes Down Patents In Apple And Samsung Battles

German courts made winners and losers out of both Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930.SE) Friday, rejecting patent-infringement allegations involving both companies.

A court in Germany dismissed a patent infringement suit brought by Apple against Samsung over slide-to-unlock technology, and also rejected a claim by Samsung that Apple infringed one of its third-generation, or 3G, wireless patents.

The court's slide-to-unlock ruling hinged on the manner in which the brush of a finger across a screen unlocks a device, said Andreas Voss, the presiding judge in the case.

Apple's unlocking function has an on-screen start and end point and works when a finger sweeps in a roughly straight line, he told the courtroom. However, Samsung's slide-to-unlock feature differs in that it permits "gestures of any path between start and target."

Though Apple's slide-to-unlock patent had been upheld in a previous case, the Cupertino, Calif., company's loss was overshadowed by the court's decision against Samsung.

The Korean company's patents, which are part of a portfolio of patents that are part of wireless standards, have been at the center of series of battles. Several large companies, including Apple, have openly said they disagree with how standards-essential patents are licensed and called for a ban on injunctions against any company seen to infringe them.

Apple in particular sent a letter to a European standards body in November, requesting that licensing frameworks be created for standards-essential patents. Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) have expressed similar views.

Google Inc. (GOOG) has become a focus of these battles because of its planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI). Apple has argued that Motorola's royalty demands, which were at one point 2.25% of net sales, is too high and that its practice of seeking injunctions over standards-essential patents shouldn't be allowed.

European regulators have also begun investigating Samsung for the way it has litigated its patents.

Samsung said it welcomed Friday's ruling on slide-to-unlock but, in an emailed statement, expressed disappointment that the court rejected its patent claim against Apple.

It will review the written grounds of the judgment and expects to lodge an appeal with a more senior court in Karlsruhe. It has four further patent infringement cases pending against Apple at the Mannheim court.

An Apple spokesman said there's "nothing specific to say re today's news," adding that "it's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad," and that "we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

-By Harriet Torry, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725 511; and Ian Sherr in San Francisco; 415-439-6455

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