Samsung wins patent dispute vs. Apple

A Dutch court has given Samsung Electronics Co. its first victory in a global patent dispute with Apple Inc.



Accordign to The Wall Street Journal, analysts find the decision largely symbolic but may help bring the companies closer to a settlement of their sprawling legal tussle.


A court in The Hague on Wednesday ordered Apple to pay damages for infringing a technical communications patent in some of its mobile devices, including the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 and iPad 1 and 2.


Damages will be calculated within the next two months, based on the number of patent-breaching products sold by Apple in the Netherlands over the time period of the infringement—deemed by the court to be from Aug. 4, 2010. The court rejected


Samsung reporedly claims damages for a further three technical patents.


A spokesman for Apple declined to say whether the company would appeal.



Analysts have said the ruling was significant because it is the first time a court has handed Samsung a victory after it launched lawsuits against Apple around the globe alleging infringements of its technical patents. Apple initiated the dispute with legal action against the Korean company in April 2011 for allegedly copying the designs of its iPhone and iPad products.



"This isn't an issue that is big enough to have a spread-over impact on other court rulings," said Fitch Ratings' analyst Alvin Lim.


"This really is nothing more than symbolic. It's not even clear that Samsung will make enough money as a result of this infringement finding to offset the €800,000 it now owes Apple in legal fees because it lost with respect to three of its four patents," Florian Mueller, a German consultant, wrote on his widely read blog about patent disputes.

"In accordance with the ruling, we will seek adequate compensation for the damages Apple and its products have caused," Samsung said in a statement.


Apple reiterated the company's earlier statement about the global lawsuits with Samsung, accusing its rival of "blatant copying."
Apple and Samsung have around 30 patent litigation cases against each other in around 10 countries.


Separately, an Australian federal court judge Thursday ordered Apple to pay a 2.25 million Australian dollar (US$2.29 million) fine for potentially misleading consumers over the capabilities of its new iPad tablet.


A Melbourne court ruled that Apple's branding of its newest version of the iPad implied it could connect with fourth generation cellular networks in Australia, when it couldn't, which effectively was liable to mislead the public and breached consumer law.
Apple agreed to pay the fine, plus A$300,000 toward the commission's legal costs.