Hours after Apple said it was pulling various iPhones and iPads from its German online store, the company turned around and said the products would be back shortly.
It all had to do with a ban that was placed on its products, based on Motorola Mobility successfully getting a ruling from a German court that Apple's products illegally used Motorola's 3G cellular technology. While the decision was in December, Motorola just now got around to enforcing the ban, forcing Apple to initially decide to halt sales of iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 models and various 3G versions of the iPad because they carried technology related to 3G UMTS.
But Apple got a temporary stay of execution by arguing that the Motorola patent is essential to the industry, and should be licensed in under a fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory basis. Apple claimed Motorola wasn't being reasonable in negotiating a licensing deal, which puts the case back into limbo.
For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see Apple iPhones, iPads make quick return to German online stores on CNET News.
