Motorola Mobility did not violate Apple's patented technology in making some of its polular smartphones, a judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission said in a preliminary decision issued on Friday. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ruled in favor of Motorola Mobility, finding no violation for any of the three Apple patents listed in Apple's suit.

The full ITC will issue a final decision in March.

"We are pleased with today's favorable outcome for Motorola Mobility," said Scott Offer, senior vice president and general counsel of Motorola Mobility. "Motorola Mobility has worked hard over the years to develop technology and build an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio. We are proud to leverage this broad and deep portfolio to create differentiated innovations that enhance the user experience."

Apple had filed a complaint with the ITC in October of 2010, accusing Motorola Mobility of infringing three Apple patents to make its smartphones.

Two of the patents have to do with how the devices accept manual input when users type or handwrite on them while the third relates to ways for consumers to add applications without jumping through hoops like rebooting the smartphone.