iPhone's future uncertain in Germany after court ruling

Apple may find itself with one less distributor in Europe after a German court issued a restraining order against its partner T-Mobile.

The action was filed after Vodafone took exception to the Cupertino company's exclusive contract with the carrier. The restraining order prevents T-Mobile from selling the phone within the country.

In addition, smaller German carrier Debitel had also complained to the German telecommunications regulators about the deal. The company claims that it is not legal to tie the phone to a single carrier.

Many had suspected Apple's insistence on exclusivity for the iPhone would run into problems here, as the EU's laws surrounding such deals are quite different from the US. Apparently T-Mobile's competitors are planning to exploit these laws.

It appears as though T-Mobile has not stopped selling the phone, though it had said it was reviewing the ruling. Vodafone in statements to the German press said that its aim was not to have sales of the phone stopped, but rather have regulators review the legality of the contracts.

The British-based carrier lost out to both Telefonica's O2 in the UK and France Telecom in France. Exact numbers on iPhone sales are not yet available, but analysts say that its high price at 399 euros has kept many would-be buyers away.