Samsung has reportedly scored a legal victory in its multinational patent fight with Apple.
The South Korea electronics giant told The Wall Street Journal that Germany’s Munich Regional Court tossed out Apple’s requested injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphone after a judge found that the devices didn’t violate Apple’s patents.
The two companies have filed a number of suits and countersuits in Germany. Last week, a judge there ruled that Apple had not violated some of Samsung’s patents. There are still a number of judgments pending in the cases.
Neither company could be reached for comment by press time.
Apple won a preliminary injunction against the sale of some Samsung devices in several European Union countries last August, but the ban ended up only going into effect in Germany. The iPhone maker was also granted a ban in the Netherlands on the Samsung Galaxy S, S II and Ace, but lost later rulings on the matter.
Apple and Samsung’s legal battle spans a number of international markets including the United States, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Although each side has chalked up rulings in its favor, neither has emerged as a clear victor.
Apple instigated the series of court fights last spring when it accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its iPad and iPhone devices.
The ruling comes days after the European Commission announced it had launched an antitrust probe into Samsung’s patent practices. The trade regulator is investigating whether Samsung failed to comply with a mandate to license its intellectual property rights on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
Samsung and other patent holders agreed to the regulations when Europe first adopted standards for 3G networks.
Filed Under: Industry regulations
