Patents
Federal judge rules Samsung infringed on Apple's patented word recommendation technology
Judge Lucy Koh of the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of Apple on Tuesday in its patent case against Samsung. Koh partially granted Apple's motion for summary judgment, finding that no reasonable jury could fail to find that Samsung infringed upon Apple's "word recommendation" patent. The remaining claims, for which Koh denied summary judgment, will be presented to a jury in March. A spokesman for Samsung expressed disappointment with Koh's decision and stated that Samsung "remains confident" that its products do not infringe Apple's intellectual property. The two companies will hold settlement discussions before February 19 in the hope of avoiding further litigation.
Apple and Samsung have been involved in a patent litigation battle that spans four continents. The litigation began in 2010 when both companies filed lawsuits against the other over the design and functionality of their devices. In November a jury awarded Apple $209 million after finding that Samsung copied a number of iPhone features. That same month, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered the reconsideration of Apple's request for an injunction against Samsung products based on allegations of utility patent infringement. In October the Obama administration upheld a decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban some Samsung for infringing on Apple's designs.
(Published by Jurist – January 23, 2014)