In a decision which probably marks the culmination of a two-year-long patent-infringement dispute between Apple and Motorola, Judge Richard Posner - who is sitting by designation on the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois - has tossed away Apple's smartphone patent claims against Motorola, on Friday.

The dismissal of the Apple-Motorola patent lawsuit by Judge Posner came after a rehearing which was held on Wednesday. During the course of the Wednesday proceedings, Posner strongly questioned Apple's bid for a ban against Motorola's handsets; and, as per Reuters, said that an injunction on sales would not only have "catastrophic effects", but would also be "contrary to the public interest."

According to an All Things Digital report, since Apple and Motorola both failed to prove damages, the case has been dismissed "with prejudice," which means that it will not be possible for either of the two companies to reargue the assertions in front of that particular court.

As per the report, Judge Posner said in his Friday ruling: "It would be ridiculous to dismiss a suit for failure to prove damages and allow the plaintiff to refile the suit so that he could have a second chance to prove damages. This case is therefore dismissed with prejudice."

While the ruling by Judge Poser marks a victory for Motorola, it is clearly a blow for Apple, as the company was hopeful that a decisive verdict against Motorola would help it gain a leading edge against the increasingly popular Android operating system, in the smartphone arena.