[JURIST] A federal judge on Thursday granted a request from Apple to hear its patent infringement case against Motorola [corporate websites]. Apple is seeking an injunction against some of Motorola’s phones alleging that the company infringed upon its patents. Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit last week tentatively dismissed [JURIST report] Apple’s patent infringement lawsuit against Motorola because allowing Apple to proceed would be contrary to public interest. Posner, who is sitting in as a trial judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois [official website] in the case, expressed his frustration about both parties’ unclear arguments. He dismissed most of Motorola’s arguments while leaving some of Apple’s arguments on the table. Thus, Thursday ruling is more likely to be advantageous for Apple. The trial is set to start on June 20.

In February, Apple filed a suit [JURIST report] against Motorola in the US District Court for the Southern District of California [official website] seeking an injunction to stop the company from bringing patent claims against Apple in Germany. Apple had brought [JURIST report] two separate lawsuits against Motorola in October of last year alleging that several of Motorola’s products infringe six patents owned by Apple.