Judge Lucy Koh has denied Apple’s second attempt at banning certain Samsung phones. After Apple won its second major patent infringement case against Samsung earlier this year, it requested that a permanent injunction be placed on nine Samsung devices in the U.S.
Just like when Apple was denied a sales ban after its 2011 landmark victory against Samsung, Koh has not granted the second request. This time around, the ruling signals that Apple and Samsung’s court disputes are indeed settling down.
On top of its $120 million award in May, which was only a small fraction of the $2.2 billion in damages it wanted, Apple proposed a sales ban on the following Samsung products: the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3, and Stratosphere.
Koh found that Apple failed in “demonstrating irreparable harm and linking that harm to Samsung’s exploitation of any of Apple’s three infringed patents.” iPhone sales were surprisingly strong last quarter, and Apple continues to wield the majority of smartphone profits while Samsung’s sales have been shrinking.
While Apple didn’t get what it wanted in this specific instance, both companies did recently agree to settle their patent disputes in eight other countries.
If Apple can’t force Samsung to take its devices off the shelves, the two will likely settle in the U.S. as well.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
