Judges Not Buying Apple's Claims Against Samsung Of 'Irreparable Harm'

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The latest battle of the Apple Inc. AAPL versus Samsung Electronics Co SSNLF patent war is playing out in the courtrooms, and Samsung seems to be winning this round. According to a report by Reuters, Judges Kimberly Moore and Sharon Prost were having a tough time swallowing Apple's most recent courtroom arguments on Wednesday.

A History Of Bad Blood

Apple and Samsung have been going at it for years now over smartphone patent infringement. The two companies have spent more than a billion dollars fighting each other in court, and very little has been accomplished. The lone exception is a $930 billion 2012 ruling in favor of Apple, which Samsung is currently in the process of appealing.

The Latest Dispute

In the two most recent cases, one in U.S. District Court and one in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Apple is seeking an injunction against Samsung that would prevent the company from selling products that Apple claims infringe on Apple patents, including slide-to-unlock, auto-correct and quick links. Apple lawyer William Lee presented his case to the court that Samsung's use of these Apple technologies harms Apple's business.

Judges Not Buying It

Neither judge seemed impressed with Apple's most recent claims against Samsung. Judge Moore focused on Apple's licensing of its technology. "You've licensed them to everyone," Moore said. "So why is it irreparable harm if Samsung uses the patents?"

Judge Prost also explained that she is "having a hard time getting past irreparable harm."

Lee argued that rivals such as Google Inc GOOGGOOGL have not licensed this particular technology, while Samsung lawyer Kathleen Sullivan argued that an injunction isn't even necessary because Samsung barely uses the technology in question anymore.

Shares of Apple traded recently at $126.44, down 1.6 percent.

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Posted In: LegalTechReuters
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