A federal judge has scheduled an injunction hearing in a patent dispute between Apple and Motorola Mobility, after raising the possibility last week that the case might be dismissed as neither side had established a right to relief, according to "Computerworld" (http://macte.ch/dih9S).

U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Posner said that the hearing would be June 20, and each party may argue for injunctive relief against alleged patent infringement by the other, the article adds. "The parties should be prepared to address the possibility of substitution for an injunction of an equitable decree for a reasonable royalty going forward," the judge said.

In November 2010 Apple sued Motorola, alleging that the company's smartphone lineup and the operating software it uses infringe on the iPhone-maker's intellectual property. The two lawsuits came after Motorola sued Apple in October 2010 for patent infringement. Motorola claims that Apple's iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and certain Mac computers infringe Motorola patents.

Also in 2010 Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

For more info go to http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/05/delaware-based-federal-court-orders.html .