A United States federal appeals court has ruled to block Samsung from selling several older models of its smartphones in the country as the latest development in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung over copyright infringement.
A jury back in May of last year found that Samsung was guilty of infringing on three patents held by Apple and used for its iPhones, specifically quick links, slide-to-unlock and automatic word correction. Apple wanted a ban on Samsung products that used these patents, but U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh ruled that monetary damages would be enough as resolution.
The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington thinks otherwise though, with two of the three judges on the case voting to block certain Samsung products from the market.
However, while the ruling can be considered a victory for Apple, Samsung might not feel the effects too much. This is because the latest device that is affected by the injunction is the Galaxy S3, which was released three years ago. Since then, Samsung has released several new flagship devices that will not be affected by the ruling, including its latest Galaxy S6 Edge+.
In a statement, Samsung reassures its customers that its flagship devices will remain for sale with customer service support in the United States, though after stating that it believes the injunction against its products is unfounded and that it will pursue a review of the decision of the Court of Appeals.
Samsung can also choose to revise the features that the injunction covers, which is something that it has indicated it could do if it had to.
Apple, on the other hand, reiterated what the company said in the ruling released in May 2014 that Samsung stole the company's ideas and also copied its products.
"We are fighting to defend the hard work that goes into beloved products like the iPhone, which our employees devote their lives to designing and delivering for our customers," said Apple.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in copyright infringement legal battles for years over patents related to features in smartphone technology, starting from April 2011 when Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung for allegedly copying the designs of its iPhone and iPad products. Samsung launched a countersuit, but ultimately Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages.
