Although Samsung lost big time in its landmark patent-infringement case with Apple on Friday, there was at least one bit of good news in the verdict. The jury found the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet wasn’t infringing on Apple’s design patents, which could lead to a U.S. ban on the device being lifted.
When the jury returned to deliver its verdict, it overwhelmingly sided with Apple, agreeing that many Samsung devices infringed on Apple’s patents with their features or design. However, in the case of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the jurors said the tablet doesn’t copy design elements of the iPad.
The same judge that presided over the patent-infringement case, Lucy Koh, had supported Apple’s request to halt sales of the tablet back in June. Although Koh had first denied Apple’s request, she was persuaded to reconsider by a federal appeals court and granted the injunction.
With Friday’s new ruling, Samsung formally asked the judge to dissolve the injunction, Reuters reports(Samsung’s filing is below). That would free up Samsung to sell the tablet in American markets again. Samsung is also seeking damages based on the sales it would have gotten in the absence of a ban.
What could complicate matters is that the jury actually found the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to infringe on some of Apple’s software patents. However, it’s much easier to change software than hardware, and Samsung could address those infringements with a software update.
The rulings only affect the Galaxy Tab 10.1, not the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, which Samsung launched earlier this year.
Samsung Motion to Dissolve Injunction
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