UPDATE: German Court Rules In Samsung's Favor On Slide-To-Unlock
March 02 2012 - 11:29AM
Dow Jones News
The battle for smartphone supremacy playing out via case-by-case
squabbles over patent violations, spanning courtrooms and
technology companies across the world, took another twist Friday
with both Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
(005930.SE) being winners and losers.
A German court dismissed a patent infringement suit brought by
Apple Inc. (AAPL) against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930.SE)
over slide-to-unlock technology, and also rejected a claim by
Samsung that Apple infringed one of its third-generation, or 3G,
wireless patents.
The court's slide-to-unlock ruling hinged on the manner in which
the brush of a finger across a screen unlocks a device.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple's unblocking function has an
on-screen start and end point and works when a finger sweeps in a
roughly straight line.
However, Suwon, Korea-based Samsung's slide-to-unlock feature
differs in that it permits "gestures of any path between start and
target," presiding judge Andreas Voss told the courtroom.
Samsung said it welcomed Friday's ruling on slide-to-unlock but,
in an emailed statement, expressed disappointment that the court
rejected its patent claim against Apple.
It will review the written grounds of the judgment and expects
to lodge an appeal with a more senior court in Karlsruhe. It has
four further patent infringement cases pending against Apple at the
Mannheim court.
An Apple spokesman said there's "nothing specific to say re
today's news," adding that "it's no coincidence that Samsung's
latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad," and that "we
need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal
our ideas."
Legal disputes over patents in the smartphone industry have
flared up in courtrooms around the world as telecommunications
players fight for dominance of the blossoming market.
Sales of smartphones and tablets have rocketed in recent years,
giving rise to a plethora of lawsuits involving Apple, Motorola
Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI), Samsung, HTC Corp. (2498.TW, HTCXF)
and others.
Regulators such as the European Union are trying to crack down
on companies they suspect of abusing their position by failing to
licence patents under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory
terms.
Earlier this year, the commission started a formal investigation
into whether Samsung is using standard-essential patents to sue
rivals.
- By Harriet Torry, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725 511;
harriet.torry@dowjones.com
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