The legal battle between Apple and Samsung is still raging on. In the latest installment the US international Trade Commission (US ITC) has upheld the decision that Samsung had infringed patents held by Apple in the production of mobile phones, media players and tablets since 2011. This decision could prove important in relation to the ongoing battle between the technology giants.
The legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung are spread between 10 countries with over 50 lawsuits at one point. The suits claim billions of dollars between the parties, each claim nearly always having its own counter claim.
The recent ruling dismissed four infringements claimed by Apple. However it held that the “Steve Jobs patent,” (which encompasses touch screen technology and is named after the company’s founder) and an audio socket patent were infringed by the South Korean corporation.
As a consequence the US court has ordered that all Samsung devices affected by the decided breaches are to be banned from the US. The ban however must be assessed by President Barack Obama within 60 days.
General feeling is that the President is unlikely to overturn the decision but it should be noted that he did issue the first presidential veto in 26 years in a separate US decision. That decision related to a ban of older models of iPhones and the iPad.
While obviously Apple was pleased with the decision (as it stands) Samsung were less than delighted. Their position is that the focus of the industry should be on fair competition
in the marketplace not “global war in the courts”