U.S
Federal judge denies motion by Samsung to stay patent infringement damages trial
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday denied Samsung's request to stay on a trial to determine damages owed as a result of the company's infringement of five Apple patents. On November 20, Samsung asked Judge Lucy Koh to postpone recalculation of the $450 million award she vacated in March until the US Patent Office completes its investigation into the validity of Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent. The motion was denied on the grounds that it asked the court "to stay proceedings at the relative end of the litigation process," that it "would not simplify the issues in this case" and that it would cause "certain prejudice" to Apple.
Apple has been involved in a continuous patent litigation battle with Samsung that spans four continents. The two companies have been engaged in patent litigation since 2010, each filing lawsuits against the other over the design and functionality of their devices. The day after Samsung filed the motion to stay, the jury in the damages retrial awarded Apple $290 million. In October, the Obama administration upheld a decision by the US International Trade Commission to ban the importation of older-model Samsung products due to the patent infringement. Samsung was ordered to pay $1.05 billion in damages at the conclusion of the initial trial in August 2012.
(Published by Jurist – November 26, 2013)