Samsung had used the Netherlands as a loophole against an EU-wide ban on its products. That option is now closed after a Netherlands court rules the Korean company’s smartphones violate Apple patents. The decision could tie a knot in Samsung’s distribution chain, the latest win for the Cupertino, Calif. iPhone maker.
The Wednesday ruling by a Dutch court at The Hague hurts only Samsung’s smartphones, but not the Galaxy tablets. The injunction goes into effect in mid-October in European nations where the Apple patent “Portable Electronic Device for Photo Management” is valid, according to reports.
Although the ruling does not affect Samsung’s Korean operations, the company does have three Netherlands’ subsidiaries. “It is my understanding that Samsung’s European logistics use the Netherlands as the primary hub,” writes FOSS Patents. The judge’s ruling could force Samsung to “reorganize its logistics chain,” according to the website.
The ruling is just the latest victory for Apple, which has pressed patent infringement charges against the rival smartphone and tablet maker. After winning an injunction in Australia, the tech giant also won a limited injunction from a German court.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
