Last week, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) posted a major patent victory against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) when the Obama Administration overruled an ITC order to ban the import of some Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products. Today, they will face each other again in the courtroom in two different cases. The Washington federal appeals court will hold a hearing on whether the decision a lower court took last year was an error. The lower court had allowed the Korean electronics giant to keep selling 26 products despite infringing many Apple Inc. patents, reports Ashby Jones of the Wall Street Journal.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could get a major confidence boost
In Another battle, the International Trade Commission will issue a ruling on whether to uphold a preliminary finding that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) has violated Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s patents. If the decision goes against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), import of many of the Korean company’s products could be banned. It will give Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a major confidence boost.
Over the past few years, the smartphone industry has seen biggies dragging one another to court over patent infringement issues. And there have been so many litigations that it’s become pretty difficult to keep track of them. Today’s rulings will give a clear picture of what course the other patent lawsuits may take.
A favorable hearing could give Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) an edge in other battles
If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) wins the battle today, many of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930)’s smartphones will go out of the marketplace. That will, to some extent, hamper Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930)’s lead in global smartphone sales. The hearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is related to a complaint that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had filed against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) in San Jose in 2011.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has already recorded its biggest victory, winning the San Jose court battle last year. The jury in that case awarded the iPhone maker $1.05 billion in damages and ruled that 26 products of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) violated Apple Inc. patents. Later on, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) requested the court ban sales of those 26 products. But judge Lucy Koh denied Apple Inc.’s request.
Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi told Nick Wingfield and Brian X. Chen of the New York Times that if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) wins again at the ITC, it will gain a significant edge in patent litigations. If ITC finds a broad infringement, it could place a ban on import of several Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) products.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares were down 0.87% to $457.06 at 10:14 AM EDT.