Germany's Mannheim Regional Court issued its ruling on the first of Samsung's patent infringement claims against Apple today. Samsung's complaint, rejected by judge Andreas Voss, involved a patent related to the 3G/UMTS wireless telecommunications standard. The reasoning behind the rejection is unclear, but Samsung has four other lawsuits in Germany against Apple involving six more patents.
The Korean handset maker has not decided whether it plans to appeal against the ruling, and FOSS Patents notes that Samsung can appeal to the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court initially. Samsung says it is "disappointed that the court did not share our views regarding the infringement by Apple of this specific patent in Germany," but noted that the ruling affects only one of several patent claims against Apple in Germany. The decision comes just days after Apple filed a new patent case against Samsung in Germany, claiming that a number of smartphone devices, including the Galaxy S II, infringe Apple's European design rights.