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Apple Samsung Patent Infringement Case: Verdict is In

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on May 15, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Last month, we talked about the oral arguments made in the Apple-Samsung lawsuit. Apple was trying to enjoin the sale of Samsung’s version of the iPad in the U.S.

Now, the verdict is in. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on the Apple Samsung patent infringement lawsuit.

And what’s the court saying?

You guessed it. Don't mess with Apple.

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals found that the district court judge erred in deciding that Apple didn't show a likelihood of success on the merits.

There are over 20 patents in dispute between Apple and Samsung. The patent in this particular case relates to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. A U.S. District Court in California found that the patent would likely fail the obviousness test, and never should have been granted.

The obviousness test essentially states that a patent should not be granted if the subjected patent matter would have been so obvious, based on a prior art, that a person having ordinary skill in the art could have known it.

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed with the opinion of the district court about the obviousness of the contested patent, but the appeals court agreed with the district court with regard to three other patents where Apple was trying to obtain an injunction. The three patents involve smartphones.

Apple can still move to halt the sale of Samsung Galaxy Tablets in the U.S., pending the outcome of the litigation in the district court. The district court controversy accuses Samsung of imitating the iPhone and iPad.

The two companies have been holding settlement talks.

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