Judge rejects Apple bid to ban Samsung devices

The Galaxy S5 and other current models do not infringe Apple's patents and may be sold in the USA. Image: Phandroid

US District Judge Lucy Koh, who oversaw the blockbuster patent trial, finalised the damage award to be paid by the South Korean electronics company at US$929m.

But in a separate order, granted on Thursday (6 March) the judge denied Apple's request to ban 23 Samsung devices, saying there was no evidence that consumer demand was driven by the infringing elements.

"To persuade the court to grant Apple such an extraordinary injunction - to bar such complex devices for incorporating three touchscreen software features - Apple bears the burden to prove that these three touchscreen software features drive consumer demand for Samsung's products," the judge wrote. "Apple has not met this burden."

A jury last year awarded more than US$1bn to Apple for patent infringement, but the judge threw out some of that award and ordered a partial retrial. The final amount awarded was US$929m.

Both sides have been appealing various aspects of the case, which is likely to be tied up in courts for some time barring an agreement between the two companies.

But because of the fast-moving nature of the business, the devices at issue in the case are no longer being sold.

Judge Koh noted that the only new fact is that Samsung represents that no infringing units are currently in the marketplace.

She added: "Apple presents no evidence that any current Samsung devices incorporate the patented features. As such, it appears that the public interest slightly favours Samsung."

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge