A German court ruled on Thursday that Motorola's smartphones infringe on an Apple patent that covers certain implementations of the iPhone's "slide-to-unlock" feature. Presiding Judge Dr. Peter Guntz of the Munich I Regional Court awarded Apple a permanent injunction it can enforce against the sale or distribution of Motorola's Android-based smartphones within the country.

The patent in question, EP1964022 "Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image," was already at the center of a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in The Netherlands. A judge there did not grant a preliminary injunction against Samsung devices on the basis that he believed the patent may be ruled invalid.

The German court disagreed, noting that two different "slide-to-unlock" implementations used in Mototrola's Android smartphones violated the claims of that patent. The court ruled that the Xoom tablet's particular implementation did not infringe on Apple's patented claims, however.

Apple is asserting the same patent against Samsung in Germany, as well. The win today makes it more likely that German courts could rule against Samsung or other Android handset makers based on this patent. However, it is currently subject to a validity review in a separate court case; if Apple wins injunctions which are later overturned because the patent is ruled invalid, it will be required by German law to pay out damages to Motorola and any others affected by such injunctions.

The "slide-to-unlock" decision follows a recent win Apple gained over Motorola concerning standards-essential 3G patents, and reverses a string of losses against Motorola in Germany. Apple and Motorola are also currently duking it out over smartphone patents in US District Court as well as at the ITC.