Apple has managed to win, at least on one side, in front of Samsung, as it has just been revealed that some Samsung devices will no longer be able to use a certain technology that was found to infringe Apple’s patent.
In other words, this means that the Samsung Galaxy devices which feature that technology will no longer be accessible for customers to buy on the market.
So, US District Judge Lucy Koh ruled in favor of Apple in a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. In the lawsuit, Apple accused Samsung of infringing its technology with a series of its devices. So, the judge granted Apple a motion for permanent injunction against rival company Samsung, on the devices that are said to use the technology that infringed its patents.
A series of Samsung Galaxy devices will be affected by the ban, but the impact that this will have on both the company and its customers may be much lower than what everyone may initially imagine. So, the devices that were found to infringe Apple’s copyright actually are not the newest or the most popular smartphones released by Samsung.
They in fact mostly include devices that are no longer available for purchases, including older smartphones that Samsung has already discontinued.
The phone models affected by the ban include: Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Admire and Samsung Stratosphere. Because the ruling covers older Samsung phones, numerous analysts have claimed that Apple’s victory was only a symbolic one.
However, it is important to point out that the most recent device that is affected by the ruling is the Samsung Galaxy S3, which the famous company released back in 2012. This device was a huge success for Samsung, but its glory was soon taken by newer models. Still, it is believed that there still are numerous S3 devices on the market that are in use by customers.
Apple has been fighting for long to have Samsung’s devices banned, but now when it has finally achieved this, it will most likely have no impact on its rival or its sales. The patent infringement battle between Apple and Samsung has been a long term dispute between the famous companies.
The first ruling in this legal battle dates back to May 2014, when Apple actually won $119.6 million in court against Samsung.
However, Apple wanted more, asking for the court to ban Samsung’s products that infringed its patents.
The court finds that Apple will suffer irreparable harm if Samsung continues its use of the Infringing Features, that monetary damages cannot adequately compensate Apple for this resulting irreparable harm,” the ruling said.
Well, if Samsung has been banned from selling some of its older products, the company seems to be focused on releasing new ones. New rumors emerged on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy 7, which is actually said to come with a 12MP camera and two different processors.