The Apple – Samsung patent war is not yet over, and now the former has won an injunction against a few of the Korean firm’s older devices. The top patent court of the nation said that until Samsung disables certain features of its older phones, it will not be allowed to sell them.
Apple wins an injunction
Thursday’s 2-1 ruling comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which rebukes the earlier judgement by the U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who ruled that Apple did not deserve an injunction and should be satisfied with the monetary damages Samsung has paid.
Samsung’s phones are sold in the market for a variety of reasons, and not just because of the infringed features said Koh. Judge Kimberly Moore wrote that it was not mandatory for Apple to emphasize that the features offered were exclusive and were the predominant reason for users buying the device. Just showing that they had an impact on consumers’ decisions was enough.
“The record here establishes that these features do influence consumers’ perceptions of and desire for these products. The right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important,” the judge said. Moore also emphasized that an injunction favors public interest.
Not much impact on market
The ruling’s impact on the market will be very limited as Apple filed this lawsuit in 2012, and it covers Samsung products released that year, like the Galaxy S3. The Korean firm’s software has been updated several times since then, suggesting that the patents may not be infringed upon anymore. For example, the Samsung devices running on Android no longer make use of the “slide to unlock” feature at the bottom of the phone.
The decision by the judge asserts the power of the nation’s top appeals court and acts as a reminder for the companies that losing a patent suit will require them to bring certain features to an end. This injunction comes from the second big patent lawsuit by Apple against Samsung. The iPhone firm received $120 million in damages from Samsung, which though it is a hefty amount, was just 5% of what Apple was demanding.
Despite the decision going in its favor, Apple stock closed down 2.14% at $113.92. Year to date, the stock is up by over 1%, while in the last year, shares are up by over 12%.
