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Apple scores patent win against Samsung in Japan

A Japanese judge has given a thumbs-down on Samsung's bid to ban sales of the iPhone and iPad in the country.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

Samsung is on the losing end of yet another legal decision in its ongoing patent war with Apple.

The Tokyo District Court today rejected Samsung's request for a ban on Apple devices in a dispute over data transmission patents.

The court found that Samsung hadn't "sincerely" negotiated with Apple over the patents in question and therefore had no right to seek damages, according to BusinessWeek.

A Samsung spokesman told CNET that the company is "disappointed by today's court decision, and following a thorough review of the ruling, it will take the measures necessary to protect its intellectual property rights."

CNET also contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.

The case originated in April 2011 when Samsung sued Apple in Japan, claiming two key patent violations. At the time a Samsung spokesperson told CNET that the patent infringements related to the following three technologies:

  • HSPA telecommunications technology for transmission optimization and the reduction of power usage during data transmission.
  • WCDMA telecommunications technology for reducing date transmission errors.
  • Technology for tethering a mobile phone to a PC to enable the PC to utilize the phone's wireless data connection.

Samsung's salvo was seen as a response against Apple, which had filed a suit against Samsung the prior week looking to ban sales of the Galaxy S and S2 smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 7 tablet.

Samsung and Apple have been keeping the legal system busy around the world with a myriad of patent lawsuits against each other.

The two companies are now prepping for another major courtroom showdown in the U.S. in early 2014. But U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh, who presided over last summer's big trial between the two, has already told the combatants to trim the number of patent infringement claims before the case heads to court.