Apple may have won its second patent case against Samsung, but Judge Lucy Koh won't allow it to take more. She has denied Cupertino's request for an injunction that would have banned Samsung devices that have been found to be infringing on Apple's patents from being sold in the US.
At the heart of the matter is cause and effect. In essence, Judge Koh claims that Apple was unable to convince the court that Samsung's patent infringement has caused it significant harm, either in loss of sales or injury to Apple's reputation. Since Apple failed to prove that, there was no reason for the court to halt sales of those infringing devices. It is almost tantamount to saying that even if Samsung has been found guilty of copying features, Apple wasn't able to prove those features were significant enough to have cost it a fortune or users.
This latest decision may not be a devastating blow to Apple, but it sure is a slap on the face. Although Samsung isn't exactly getting away scot-free for its crime, it will only be paying damages in the amount of $119.6 million, a measly fraction of the $2.2 billion that Apple was going after. Plus now the court is practically telling Apple that those features that Samsung copied aren't exactly all that. Or rather, they aren't enough to have made a significant negative impact on Apple's part.
It isn't known yet if Apple plans to appeal this decision, that is if it has any other legal recourse left. Could this finally be the end to the patent squabble between Apple and Samsung in the US? The two rivals have agreed to a truce on patent litigation outside the US, but so far there has been no word on their relationship this side of the world. That said, even the international ceasefire between the two isn't exactly legally binding, so there's really no assurance that even that would hold in the long run.
VIA: Apple Insider