Apple and Samsung have become engaged in a legal battle that's involved a number of products and spanned several countries, including our own. Way back in April, Apple sued Samsung and asked that several of the South Korean company's Galaxy phones and tablet's be barred from sales here in the U.S. for allegedly copying the iPhone and iPad. Today Judge Lucy Koh finally issued a ruling in the battle, denying Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against three Galaxy smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. "It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung's accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed," Koh explained. As of this writing, neither Apple nor Samsung has commented on the decision.
Judge Koh's ruling is a nice win for Samsung, not only because the Galaxy devices involved will be able to remain on sale, but also because Samsung can chalk up this victory in its global battle with Apple and may be able to use the decision to its advantage in other cases. This news also comes just a few days after a panel of Australian judges overturned an Apple injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, so it looks like Samsung had itself a pretty good week in court. Of course, Apple quickly appealed the Australian judges' decision, so it should be interesting to see how the Cupertino firm responds to today's ruling. As usual, we'll keep an eye out for more details and update you when we learn more. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: In response to Judge Koh's ruling, Samsung spokesperson Jason Kim said, "This ruling confirms our long-held view that Apple's arguments lack merit." Apple spokesperson Kristen Huguet reiterated the Cupertino firm's previous statements, saying that the company believes that Samsung's "blatant copying is wrong."
Via Reuters
