LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.-The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California has granted Motorola Inc. a temporary restraining order against Qualcomm Inc. preventing further production, sales or marketing of its Q phone.
Motorola said the court’s order was based, in part, on a finding that Qualcomm’s Q phone is “strikingly similar” to the patented design of Motorola’s StarTac wearable cellular phone. The order remains in effect until April 23, at which time the court will hold a hearing on motions for a preliminary injunction filed by both Motorola and Qualcomm, said Motorola.
Qualcomm was quick to announce that the restraining order only affects the Q phone and not its Code Division Multiple Access technology patents.
The company recently was successful in obtaining a restraining order against Motorola. The order prohibits Motorola from stating, suggesting, inferring or otherwise communicating directly or indirectly to Qualcomm’s customers, suppliers and prospective suppliers or to others proposing to do business with Qualcomm that the company in any way unlawfully relied on Motorola’s intellectual property in designing and producing the Q phone (See related story on page 18).
