Japanese court tosses Samsung claims against Apple
updated 10:37 am EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
Samsung expected to appeal ruling
A Japanese court has reportedly rejected two of Samsung's patent infringement claims against Apple. In separate rulings, the Tokyo District Court determined that Apple's iPhone 4 and 4S do not infringe two Samsung patents related to app downloads and airplane-mode configuration.
The rulings were originally filed on September 14 and October 11, however the decisions only recently came to light in a Asahi Shimbun report that was later referenced by patent lawsuit analyst Florian Mueller.
The court is said to have opined that the iPhone's app technology is unique from the technology described in Samsung's related patent. The second ruling questions the validity of Samsung's airplane-mode patent, which was not considered to be a truly unique innovation compared to prior art.
The rulings are not expected to have a significant impact on the ongoing legal war being fought between both companies in courts across the globe. Samsung recently lost a high-profile lawsuit in US courts, after jurors determined that the Korean electronics giant was guilty of infringing several Apple patents.
The same court earlier in the year dismissed Apple's infringement claims related to a media-sync patent, though the iPhone maker has already filed an appeal. Samsung is expected to appeal the latest rulings while it awaits a decision related to a separate patent that describes homescreen layout.
Junior Member
Joined: 11-15-06
Samsung doesn't ever give up.... do they?