Apple wins court battle against Samsung

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s Samsung on Thursday lost its latest claim in a long-running global copyright battle against bitter rival Apple, a surprise blow to the electronics giant in its home market.

A court rejected Samsung’s claims that some Apple products had infringed on 3 of its patents covering messaging technology for mobile devices.

Samsung expressed disappointment at the decision – the first time a South Korean court has ruled against it in its battles with Apple – and said it would continue to take “measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights.”

The firms have been locked in a prolonged patent war in more than 10 countries, with each accusing the other of infringing on various patents.

In November, a US federal jury ordered Samsung to pay US$290 million in damages to Apple in a partial retrial of a blockbuster patent case.

Apple’s victory in the US court has had little impact on new products, as Samsung has succeeded in distancing itself from Apple with new products such as its flagship Galaxy 4 smartphones.

After years of following and refining the iPhone’s pioneering innovations – a strategy that resulted in bitter patent battles – Samsung has dethroned its rival to become the world’s top smartphone maker.

Samsung extended its lead over Apple in the global smartphone market in the third quarter, according to the IDC survey. Samsung had 31.4% of the market. – Rappler.com