Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has won against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) in the latest round of patent wars. This time the win came in Japan, where a court ruled that Samsung had infringed upon patents for the bounce-back feature, which Apple uses in the display of its documents and emails on iOS devices.
Details On Apple’s Latest Win
This decision is just an interim one, which means it may be a temporary win for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), reports The Wall Street Journal’s Daisuke Wakabayashi. We should find out more information on the court’s ruling later today. The case is still continuing so that the court can determine just how much money Samsung should pay to Apple for infringing on its patent.
Today’s ruling specifically is about the way the icons and other features on a display appear to bounce whenever the device’s user scrolls to the bottom of the document in the device. This particular feature isn’t found on the newest models of Samsung devices. Instead, Samsung devices show a blue line at the bottom of documents.
Earlier this year, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) lost a claim for the same feature in the U.S., although it won the claim in a South Korean court last year. Older Samsung devices which have the similar feature were allowed to remain on sale in the U.S. There’s a chance that these same devices may be banned in Japan however, depending on the court’s final decision about compensation and whether there should be a ban on these devices.
Other Patent Battles Between Apple And Samsung
Last year, a court in Japan made the opposite decision, ruling in favor of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) for a different patent. That one involved the synching of videos and music on various devices using servers. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) of course appealed that verdict, and the wars just keep going on. So far the patent wars between the two tech giants have spanned 10 or more countries and have gone on for at least two years.
This week Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was also slapped with another patent suit, this time for a call-forwarding feature. That suit didn’t come from Samsung, however. It was filed by Bluebonnet Telecommunications.
