On a day when people were queuing up outside stores
and braving inclement weather to buy Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s latest iPhone,
in another part of the world it was a different story.
The iPhone maker lost a lawsuit against rival Samsung
Electronics in a German court which ruled that the Korean company was not
guilty of copying Apple’s patents on features relating to touch-screen
technology.
Samsung and Apple, which between them have close to 75
percent share of the smartphone market, are engaged in a bitter battle for
dominance in the sector.
They are fighting court battles in over half a dozen
countries across continents trading charges of violating patents and copying
each other's designs.
In Germany Apple had claimed that Samsung’s Galaxy
devices had infringed on its touch-screen technology patents.
“We welcome today’s ruling, which affirms our position
that our products do not infringe Apple’s intellectual property,” Samsung said
in a statement today. “We will continue to further develop and introduce
products that enhance the lives of German consumers.”
The Mannheim Regional Court judges also rejected a bid
by Apple regarding the same patent against Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Motorola
Mobility Holdings unit.
For Samsung it is a crucial win against Apple. Last
month a San Jose federal court had awarded the Cupertino company $1 billion in
damages and held Samsung guilty of patent violations and copying Apple's
designs of its iPhones and iPads.
No comments:
Post a Comment