After 19 months of patent trolling by Google’s Motorola Mobility, Apple iCloud users regain push email in Germany

“More than 19 months after now-Google-subsidiary Motorola Mobility forced Apple to deactivate push email notifications for German iCloud users (over a patent that should never have been granted in the first place), Apple has finally been able to make the feature available again,” Florian Müller reports for FOSS Patents. “I’m happy to share this piece of good news with end users, who were unfortunately held hostage in this context. The feature came back at approximately 9 PM local time in Germany (that’s 3 PM Eastern Time in the U.S.). Apple’s support website confirms the reactivation of the feature.”

“The unavailability of the feature had only a limited effect on users of the iCloud’s email service. No email was lost,” Müller explains. “But it is more convenient to get instant notifications upon receipt of a new message than to have one’s email client check periodically.”

Müller writes, “Considering just how weak this patent is, it’s amazing that it took so long — and that Apple had to post a $132 million bond only to stop Motorola from causing further inconvenience to iCloud users. To put this into perspective: the main claim of his patent is the only patent claim in the entire ongoing wave of smartphone patent disputes to have been found invalid for four independent reasons by a court of law (in the UK, last December). Even if Google’s Motorola — a convicted patent troll — overestimated the quality of this patent when it originally sued over it, the UK ruling should have made it recognize its error and cease enforcement… very disappointingly, Google again and again refused to stipulate to the only appropriate thing to do under the circumstances: an unconditional stay of the enforcement of this injunction. For a company that has criticized assertions of “bogus patents”, this behavior is, to say the least, inconsistent. And it’s not in its own best interest. It will owe Apple damages for premature enforcement of an improper injunction.”

Much more in the full article – recommended – here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Ellis D.” for the heads up.]

Related articles:
Apple must post $132 million bond to end Google’s zombie patent trolling in Germany over push email – September 5, 2013
German appeals court lifts Google’s bogus patent injunction over push email against Apple’s iCloud – September 3, 2013
Motorola forces Apple to deactivate iCloud, MobileMe push notifications for German users – February 24, 2012