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patent infringement
Tech giants Apple and Samsung have agreed to withdraw all patent suits against each other outside the US.
The two rivals have sued each other over a range of patent disputes in nine countries outside the US, including the UK, South Korea, Japan and Germany.
A joint statement said the agreement “does not involve any licensing arrangements”, and they would continue to pursue existing cases in US courts.
Apple and Samsung are the biggest players in the smartphone and tablet PC market.
They have been involved in a bitter legal battle, spread across various countries, which has escalated in recent years.
Apple and Samsung have agreed to withdraw all patent suits against each other outside the US
The legal wrangling between the two companies began in 2011 after Apple sued Samsung in the US.
Apple claimed that Samsung’s Galaxy range of phones and tablets “slavishly” copied its iPhone and iPad.
Samsung has since taken Apple to court in various countries, accusing it of infringing its patents.
These included patents on a way to synchronize photos, music and video files across several devices, and a method to capture and send video over the internet.
For its part, Apple filed counter claims in some of those countries – disputes which the two firms have now agreed to withdraw.
However, the main legal battle between the two companies is being fought in the US courts.
Apple has won two verdicts in the US against Samsung in recent years.
In May, a US court ordered Samsung to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing two of its patents. The amount was way less than the $2.2 billion that Apple had sought.
The court also ruled that Apple infringed Samsung’s patents and awarded $158,000 in damages.
However, Samsung denied any wrongdoing and sought $6 million after arguing Apple infringed two of its smartphone patents related to camera use and video transmission.
Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion in damages for infringing intellectual property.
The jury decided several Samsung devices had infringed iPhone-maker Apple’s software and design patents, but rejected counter-claims by Samsung. That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung.
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A federal court in California has ordered Samsung to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing two of its patents.
The jury delivered its verdict in a federal court in San Jose on Friday in the latest lawsuit involving Samsung and Apple.
Apple had sought $2 billion at the trial, accusing Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features.
Samsung has been ordered to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing two of its patents
The court also ruled that Apple infringed Samsung’s patents and awarded $158,000 in damages.
Apple had sought $2.2 billion after accusing Samsung of infringing five of its patents covering functions such as the “slide to unlock” from its devices.
Samsung denied any wrongdoing and sought $6 million after arguing Apple had infringed two of its smartphone patents related to camera use and video transmission.
This verdict marks the latest legal battle over intellectual property between the world’s top two smartphone makers.
Apple and Samsung have been fighting patent battles for years and across many countries.
Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930 million after finding it had used Apple technology.
That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung.
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The judge in a patent trial involving Apple and Samsung has said iPhone maker’s lawyer William Lee must be on drugs if he thought she would accept his list of potential witnesses.
William Lee had named 22 people he wanted to rebut testimony given by Samsung’s choice of experts.
“Unless you’re smoking crack you know these witnesses aren’t going to be called” said Judge Lucy Koh.
William Lee replied: “Your honor, I’m not smoking crack. I can promise you that.”
The clash, reported by the Verge news site, took place close to the end of the trial after William Lee presented a 75-page document detailing the witnesses.
The judge in a patent trial involving Apple and Samsung has said iPhone maker's lawyer William Lee must be on drugs if he thought she would accept his list of potential witnesses
The judge had previously made it clear she wanted closing arguments to be presented next week. She has given each side a maximum of 25 hours to make its case.
Of that time Apple has less than four hours of witness testimony remaining on its clock, and William Lee said he honestly believed he could cover all the people he had named within that period.
The move could potentially have made it harder for Samsung’s legal team to prepare.
Samsung called on damages expert Michael Wagner shortly before the exchange, who said Apple had overestimated Samsung’s profit margins.
His evidence was intended to undermine the US firm’s claim that it was owed $2.5 billion in damages.
Under cross examination Michael Wagner acknowledged that his analysis had been based on data provided by Samsung as part of its response to Apple’s patent infringement accusations.
In addition to denying the allegations the South Korean firm is also pursuing its rival for royalty payments.
Judge Lucy Koh’s outburst is not the first time she has expressed anger at the two sides’ behavior in the case.
Earlier the judge chided Samsung’s lawyer John Quinn for approving a press release which publicized evidence she had ruled inadmissible in court.
She had also demanded each legal team write out their legal arguments after they wrangled over whether a witness should be allowed to present certain evidence, saying: “I don’t trust what any lawyer tells me in this courtroom. I want to see actual papers.”
Despite the potential large payouts involved in the case the firms’ share prices do not appear to have suffered.
Apple’s stock has closed at a record high of $636.34 after rising 6.9% since the start of the trial.
Samsung’s shares have gained 5.5% over the same period.
A US court has banned sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the country while it decides on the firm’s patent dispute with Apple.
Apple has claimed that Samsung infringed its design patent and copied the look of its popular device, the iPad.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is considered by most analysts as the biggest rival to Apple’s iPad.
The trial for the case is scheduled to begin in California on 30 July.
A US court has banned sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the country while it decides on the firm's patent dispute with Apple
“Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products,” said US District Judge Lucy Koh.
Samsung said in a statement that it “will take necessary legal steps” and that the ruling was unlikely to have a significant impact on its business.
Apple and Samsung are two of the biggest manufacturers of tablet PCs and smartphones.
The two rivals are involved in a variety of legal cases in various countries across the globe amid claims and counter claims of patent infringement.
While Apple had accused Samsung of copying its design and look, the South Korean firm has alleged that Apple infringed its patents relating to the way phones and tablet PCs connect to the internet.
However, this is the first time that either of the firms has been able to win an injunction banning sales of the rival’s product.
Analysts said the order passed by the judge was a significant development in the continuing legal battle between the two companies.
“The relief being given to Apple here is extraordinary,” said Colleen Chien, a professor at Santa Clara Law in Silicon Valley.
“Preliminary injunctions are rarely asked for and rarely granted.”
