It was reported that Apple had overturned a ban which saw some of its iPhone and iPad devices removed from online sale in Germany, as part of a wide-ranging dispute with Motorola being played out in the country.

The removal of the products was believed to be related to a December 2011 ruling from a court in Mannheim, Germany, related to packet data technology. Coincidentally, Motorola also won a suit related to Apple’s iCloud service last week, although the timings and products involved mean that the sales block was unlikely to have been related to this case.

According to The Register, Apple said it appealed the sales ban “because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.”

While the sales ban has now been overturned, patent website FOSS Patents said that this is a temporary reprieve – the appeals court in Karlsruhe has not overturned the original decision from Mannheim. It was noted that while Motorola had allegedly refused to licence the patent to Apple on suggested terms, “Apple has amended that offer in various ways,” meaning the case needs to be re-evaluated.

On Friday, Motorola won an injunction related to Apple’s iCloud service, which could impact iPhone and iPad sales. This ruling was related to an old patent owned by the company, with paidContent reporting that Apple had argued:  “Apple believes this old pager patent is invalid and we’re appealing the court’s decision.”

FOSS Patents also moots that Motorola’s actions may draw attention from the regulatory authorities, centred on whether its enforcement of a sales ban was in-line with its FRAND licensing obligations for essential patents.

The European Commission has already confirmed it is investigating Samsung’s activities related to its FRAND licensing obligations.