Court quashes Apple attempt to revive Galaxy Nexus ban
updated 04:32 pm EST, Thu January 31, 2013
May set important precedent in upcoming legal battles
The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an Apple bid to revive a pretrial ban on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Reuters reports. The company wanted the court to re-examine an October decision it made on the matter, which had it gone in Apple's direction would've kept the Galaxy Nexus off the market until at least March 2014, the current target date for the trial. The Court of Appeals hasn't issued any explanations or dissenting opinions for today's ruling.
The decision may have a cascading impact on Apple, since the October ruling was the basis for another in December which prevented bans of several other Samsung phones. Apple is appealing that ruling, but may now be fighting an uphill battle. To overturn the October decision, Apple's only option now is to make an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which is more resistant to sales injunctions.
Apple won a $1.05 billion US judgment against Samsung last year, but success may not be guaranteed in the lawsuit involved today. Globally Apple's track record with patent cases has become mixed, in some cases seeing significant defeats.
