Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) failed to convince a federal judge to grant its request to impose a sales ban on Samsung smartphones that violated its patent rights.
United States District Judge Lucy Koh rejected the arguments of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) that it would suffer irreparable damage if Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (LON:BC94) (KRX:005935) continues to sell the infringing smartphone in the United States.
“Apple has not satisfied its burden of demonstrating irreparable harm and linking that harm to Samsung’s exploitation of any of Apple’s three infringed patents. Apple has not established that it suffered significant harm in the form of either lost sales or reputational injury,” wrote Judge Koh in her ruling.
The argument of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was weakened by its quarterly financial results on July 22. The Cupertino-based tech giant reported that its iPhone sales increased 12.7% to 35.2 million during the third-quarter. The strong sales performance of its iPhone showed that the company withstands the strong competition in the smartphone market.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was targeting a sales ban for the Samsung Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touchm Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy s3 and Stratosphere.
During a hearing last month, Bill Price, the lawyer representing Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (LON:BC94) (KRX:005935) emphasized that it was a “Hail Mary” for Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) to argue that the patent infringement of his client harmed iPhone maker’s reputation for innovation that cannot be fixed with financial compensation alone.
In a court filing, the South Korean electronics giant argued, “Apple has provided no persuasive justification for depriving the public of product choices created by a thriving level of competition other than its claim that an injunction serves the public’s interest in protecting innovation and patent rights.”
Judge Koh previously rejected the first request of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to order a sales ban on the infringing smartphones of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (LON:BC94) (KRX:005935) in an earlier lawsuit involving 20 smartphones that are no longer for sale in the market. On July 28, the iPhone maker decided not to pursue its appeal.
Judge Koh’s decision of rejecting Apple’s request for a sales ban against Samsung’s smartphone came after both companies dropped the patent cases filed against each other outside the United States.
