Samsung patent lawsuit against Apple struck down in German court
Judge says one of the claims Samsung brought against Apple is not valid. But many more lawsuits before courts have yet to be decided.
One of Samsung's complaints against Apple has been rejected by a German court.
Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court today said Samsung's claim that Apple violates a patent related to 3G/UMTS wireless communication is not valid, FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller is reporting. According to Mueller, the judge didn't say why the claim was rejected, but it's by no means the end of Samsung's legal efforts. As Mueller points out, the consumer electronics giant has four other lawsuits targeting Apple, including six more patent claims.
Apple and Samsung have been engaging in a long, arduous lawsuit process over the last several months spanning Europe, the U.S., Australia, and Asia. However, so far, neither company has been able to gain the upper hand, since most of their suits have been thrown out. Even in cases where one side wins, they've only scored a preliminary injunction that, in most instances, has been thrown out or averted with product modifications.
But all that hasn't stopped one side from targeting the other. Earlier this week, Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung, arguing that the company's smartphones violate its patents and should be banned from sale in Germany. That lawsuit followed another Samsung filed against Apple last month in a German court, alleging the iPhone maker violates several patents, including one related to how emoticons are displayed on-screen.
Apple is also currently targeting Motorola over alleged patent infringement. However, in that case, Apple has suffered some setbacks, including one last week when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Motorola's smartphones do not, in fact, violate the iPhone maker's patents.
After squaring off in a German court earlier today, Apple and Samsung are due back to attend a hearing on one of the lawsuits Apple has brought before Samsung. The fun never ends.