German iPhone ruling due Tuesday
updated 09:30 am EST, Mon December 3, 2007
German iPhone ruling Tues.
A ruling on German sales of the iPhone has been delayed by one day, the Hamburg District Court has announced. A judge had been set rule Monday on T-Mobile's appeal of an injunction granted to Vodafone, but an unspecified issue has pushed the decision to Tuesday afternoon. The preliminary injunction was issued in late November, when Vodafone charged that the exclusive availability of the iPhone through T-Mobile was unfair; in filing its appeal, T-Mobile stated that it would consider seeking damages for lost sales.
The company also responded by immediately launching an unlocked iPhone, but at more than twice the price of the regular edition -- €999 versus €399 -- it is beyond the budgets of many Germans, and could still be seen by the courts as anti-competitive. It is common practice in Europe for phones to be unlockable, and some countries (such as France) forbid exclusive contracts entirely. T-Mobile claims, however, that it is the only carrier in Germany to support the iPhone's EDGE abilities nationwide.
