UPDATE 1-Siemens loses appeal in patent fight with Seagate

* Appeals court turns down request for new trial

* California jury had ruled for Seagate Technology

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - German engineering group Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) lost an appeal for a new trial in a patent fight with disk drive maker Seagate Technology (STX.O), in a ruling issued on Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The appeals court, which hears many patent infringement appeals, affirmed a lower court decision that refused Siemens' request for the judge to either overturn a jury verdict and issue a decision in their favor or to grant them a new trial.

The appeals court agreed with a California jury, which had found that all of the claims in the patent at issue were invalid because prior technology made them either obvious or anticipated.

"We ... agree with the district court that substantial evidence supports the jury's obviousness determination," the federal circuit court said in its ruling.

"Accordingly, we do not need to reach the district court's denial of Siemens' renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law, or alternatively a new trial."

The case was on appeal from U.S District Court for the Central District of California, No. 06-788. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)