German court upholds ban on push notifications in iCloud and MobileMe

posted by Scott H.

Apr 13, 2012, 12:09 PM

German court upholds ban on push notifications in iCloud and MobileMe

Motorola scored a couple of victories against Apple today as the mobile patent wars continue unabated. The most clear-cut victory for Motorola was the courts rejection of Apple’s challenge to their injunction of push-notifications in iCloud and MobileMe. With the injunction being upheld German customers will be without iCloud and MobileMe push email for some time. Apple was also ordered to pay an unspecified amount of damages to Motorola.

In the meantime, Apple’s support pages now provide advice on how to set up manual email deliver on your iOS device, starting out:

Due to recent patent litigation by Motorola Mobility, iCloud and MobileMe users are currently unable to have iCloud and MobileMe email pushed to their iOS devices while located within the borders of Germany.

Affected customers will still receive iCloud and MobileMe email, but new messages will be downloaded to their devices when the Mail app is opened, or when their device periodically fetches new messages as configured in iOS Settings. Push email service on desktop computers, laptop computers, and the web is unaffected, as is service from other providers such as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

Apple wasn’t content to simply explain the situation to customers, adding a final dig: “Apple believes Motorola's patent is invalid and is appealing the decision.” Of course companies never think that patents being asserted against them are valid, and they always think their own patents are valid, so Apple’s opinion here is what you would expect from any company handed the short end of the legal stick.

If you are affected by this ruling and need step-by-step instructions on how to enable email retrieval from Apple’s cloud services, hit up the source link below to get some non-push email action on your iPhone.

source: Apple Support; WSJ

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22 Comments

21. speculatrix

Posts: 3; Member since: Apr 14, 2012

can Motorola also shut down imap-idle and generic push-email functions on iOS too?

posted on Apr 14, 2012, 4:32 PM 0

20. poddey

Posts: 77; Member since: Mar 22, 2012

"Due to recent patent litigation by Motorola Mobility"... that's slightly misleading on Apple's part, making MM out to be the bad guy here when it was Apple that started these patent wars. It should read "litigation with" instead.

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 6:58 PM 0

19. roscuthiii

Posts: 2383; Member since: Jul 18, 2010

Quick! More spackle on that RDF!!! The cracks are beginning to show again! (Well, that was about as trollish as I can get. Happy Friday the 13th y'all!)

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 6:39 PM 2

12. Mandroid

Posts: 209; Member since: Feb 22, 2012

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!! Couldn't have happened to a nicer company! Maybe they can find a "magical" or "innovative" way out of this... ..... ........ BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA!

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 2:17 PM 2

8. taco50

Posts: 5506; Member since: Oct 08, 2009

Motorola should try to innovate instead of litigate. I believe Apple will have push again soon.

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 1:09 PM 2

9. chadrick0814 unregistered

So.....the inventor of the cell phone should try to innovate? I guess they innovated push email. Too bad they didn`t innovate the rectangle or rounded edges. I hear some companies like suing over that.

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 1:16 PM 10

10. taco50

Motorola is slowing that innovation and stealing from the consumer. The consumer loses!

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 1:33 PM 2

13. iamcc

Posts: 1319; Member since: Oct 07, 2011

Ohhhh shut up taco.

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 2:25 PM 4

17. VZWuser76

Posts: 4974; Member since: Mar 04, 2010

And how is that argument any different than what apple is doing? For example let's change your comment a bit "Apple is slowing that innovation and stealing from the consumer. The consumer loses!" It cuts both ways doesn't it. The only difference is this time Apple is in the wrong and that's bad, but if anyone else is on the wrong side of Apple they got what they deserved. In the words of George W. Bush "That's ironical"

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 4:09 PM 3

18. jroc74

Posts: 6023; Member since: Dec 30, 2010

Slowing that innovation? Ever hear of Webtop for their Android phones? That combined with their docks turn your phone basically into a laptop? Moto developed their own LTE chip. That Apple might purchase to use in their phone. More than likely they will use one by Qualcomm tho. I dont see their innovation slowing down...

posted on Apr 13, 2012, 4:37 PM 1

14. theBankRobber

Posts: 682; Member since: Sep 22, 2011

You should be on your knees thanking Motorola for giving us the cell phone, your iPhone wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Motorola's real ideas and inventions.