Samsung Smartphones Will Not Be Banned in the U.S.
Samsung Smartphones Will Not Be Banned in the U.S. by UCStrategies Staff
On Monday of this week, Lucy Koh, a U.S. District Judge, ruled that Samsung smartphones would not be banned in the U.S. market. This comes as a blow to Apple, as the two incumbent companies continue their legal battles.
The claim by Cupertino, California-based Apple was filed on the basis that Samsung smartphones (26 in total) were too similar to the iPhone. According to a Reuter's report, Apple's request was disallowed by U.S. District Judge, who stated that the company had not provided sufficient or worthwhile evidence of similarity, or that there was a need to remove them from U.S. shelves.
Koh wrote in the ruling: “The phones at issue in this case contain a broad range of features, only a small fraction of which are covered by Apple's patents.”
She added: “Though Apple does have some interest in retaining certain features as exclusive to Apple, it does not follow that entire products must be forever banned from the market because they incorporate, among their myriad features, a few narrow protected functions.”
Earlier this year, Apple won a case against Samsung where a California jury ruled that six Apple patents had been infringed upon by Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets, and cost the South Korean smartphone maker a grand $1.05 billion in damages. Apple had been hoping to implement a permanent injunction on the Samsung products in consequence of this ruling.
Another request had been filed by Samsung following the August trial, and sought to allege that the jury foreman was unfairly biased in support of Apple. On Monday, however, Judge Koh ruled that this trial would not be allowed, in a separate ruling.
2014 will see the return of the two tech giants as they stand trial on patent infringement claims for the newer smartphone and tablet designs, in particular Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S III.
With a 22.9 percent market share, Samsung is currently leading the smartphone market, according to Gartner. The tablet sphere is being led by Apple which holds 50 percent of that market share. (CY) Link