DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) -A German court on Wednesday ruled that Pfizer ( PFE ) and its partner BioNTech violated a COVID-19 vaccine patent held by Moderna ( MRNA ).

In a statement, the court in the city of Duesseldorf said that Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech would have to provide information on earnings derived from the use of the patent and that they owe Moderna ( MRNA ) appropriate compensation, though the ruling can still be appealed to a higher court.

The court added that Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech had argued they were authorised by a press release from Moderna ( MRNA ) to use the technology behind the patent until the World Health Organization declared in May 2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency.

The court told Reuters it had not ruled on the amount to be paid, which would depend on further legal proceedings and any appeal.

(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi, writing by Ludwig Burger, editing by Thomas Escritt and Thomas Seythal)