The ongoing battle between Samsung and Apple has another chapter. A US federal judge declined Apple’s request for an injunction to block sales of Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. The ruling, released late on Friday by US District Judge Lucy Koh, refused to grant the injuction that would have prevented sales of the devices in the US.
Friday’s ruling came closely on the heels of an opposite ruling in Australia, where an injunction that had been overturned was extended by one more week, in order to give Apple time to have its appeal heard.
The cases in the US and Australia are two of over 20 cases being heard in ten countries. Apple filed the suits against Samsung in April, alleging that the Samsung devices were, in effect, ripoffs of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Apple argues that the design of the Galaxy phones and Tabs copied the style, user interface, and packaging of Apple’s products. While Apple’s original suit was filed only in the United States, Samsung responded by filing counter suits in the US (which it later dropped), South Korea (where Samsung is based), Germany, France, and Japan. Apple fired back, filing suits or counter suits in Australia, Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Samsung accuses Apple of violating a number of patents related to the basic function of mobile phones. Both companies have sought injunctions against the import and sale of each others’ devices.
Digital Trends has a thorough (though slightly outdated) breakdown of the ongoing conflict between the two companies, which may be found here.