U.S.
Federal judge rejects injunction against Samsung
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday refused to grant Apple's request for an injunction against three Samsung touchscreen software features, which were found to have infringed on Apple patents. US District Judge Lucy Koh denied Apple's request to ban 23 Samsung devices, stating that Apple had not met its burden of proof that consumer demand was driven by the infringing elements. Because of the length of the litigation and the nature of the market, no infringing Samsung units are currently in the marketplace. Though devices with these features are no longer being sold, Apple argues that an order is important to prevent Samsung from future copying with new products using the same features. Koh also issued a separate order, entering final judgment against Samsung for about $930 million in damages stemming the 2012 jury finding of patent infringement. Samsung stated that it will appeal that decision.
Samsung and Apple have had numerous disputes over intellectual property in judicial forums all over the globe. The litigation began in 2011 when both companies filed lawsuits against the other over the design and functionality of their devices. The success of either party has also varied with the forum. Last month Koh issued an order denying a request by Samsung for a retrial in its patent dispute with Apple, meaning that the award of $290 million in damages will stand. In November a jury awarded Apple $209 million after finding that Samsung copied a number of iPhone features. That same month, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered the reconsideration of Apple's request for an injunction against Samsung products based on allegations of utility patent infringement. In October the Obama administration upheld a decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC), which found that Samsung had violated patents held by Apple relating to movement tracking on touchscreen devices. In July, a Japanese court found in favor of Samsung in a patent dispute over media-synching software.
(Published by Jurist – March 7, 2014)