1st Apple v. Motorola (under Google) result is a victory for the trial court judge


U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner scuttled a scheduled June 11 trial between Apple Inc. and Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility unit over patents related to mobile phones and tablet computers, saying neither side had presented enough evidence to prove damages.

Reuters reports on Thursday the judge said each company's case should be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought up again…though he reserved the right to change his mind, suggesting he also has a sense of humor.

Just last month Judge Posner poked fun at himself and other jurists finding themselves caught up in the technological age. “We duck, bluff, weave and change the subject,” he said of judges like himself who aren’t scientifically trained. "What we're confronted with in modern technology is altogether more esoteric and difficult than what we older people grew up with," said Posner, 73, who gave the keynote speech at the annual dinner of the 7th Circuit Bar Association.

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