Apple drops alert patent in Chicago litigation against Motorola

Apple and other handset manufacturers are involved in so many lawsuits that it's difficult to keep up. Earlier this week, another infringement lawsuit in Chicago that's been around for a while resurfaced because Apple dropped a patent from the lawsuit. Apple was complying with a request from Judge Richard Posner who told the two parties involved in the case to winnow their claims, says a report in FOSS Patents.

Both Apple and Motorola are involved in this Chicago case, which started off with claims involving fifteen Apple and six Motorola patents. That number, says FOSS Patents, has been whittled down by one-third. The latest patent to hit the chopping block was U.S. Patent No. 5,566,337 which describes a "method and apparatus for distributing events in an operating system." According to Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents, this patent was a good choice to remove because it was a longshot that a judge would rule in Apple's favor on that infringement claim.