Apple loses patent suit against Samsung in Japan
31 Aug 2012
A Japanese court today rejected iPhone maker Apple's claim that South Korea's Samsung infringed on one of its patent, the latest in the patent war between the two technology giants in the battle for supremacy in the $220-billion global smartphone market.
The ruling from the Tokyo District Court comes barely a week after a US jury ordered Samsung to pay $1.05 billion in damages for infringing on several of Apple's patents, including similarity in Apple's iPhone design.
Last week, a South Korean court ruled that both Apple and Samsung had infringed on each other's patents and banned sales of certain devices of both companies in the country. (See: S Korean court rules Apple, Samsung infringed each other's patents)
A three-judge panel at the Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung did not infringe on Apple's patent on synchronising music and videos between mobile players and computers.
The court also rejected Apple's request to ban Samsung from selling the Galaxy line of products in Japan and ordered Apple to pay costs of the lawsuit.
The Cupertino, California-based company had last year filed the patent lawsuit in Tokyo alleging that Samsung's Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S II infringed its patent on synchronisation, and had sought $1.3 million in damages.