Patent Upheld: Micro Technology Inc. lost a...

Patent Upheld: Micro Technology Inc. lost a round in its legal dispute with Digital Equipment Corp. when a court in Germany declared that it had violated a Digital patent, the companies said Wednesday.

A five-judge panel upheld the validity of a Digital patent that Micro Technology, based in Anaheim, had challenged. Digital, based in Maynard, Mass., is one of the world’s largest computer companies.

In its July, 1991, lawsuit, Digital alleged that Micro Technology had violated its patents protecting a technology for hooking storage devices and minicomputers together in a network. A Micro Technology spokesman said the company will consider an appeal.