Tokyo Court Hands Win to Samsung Over Apple

New York Times ^ | August 31, 2012 | By HIROKO TABUCHI and NICK WINGFIELD

[SmokingJoe]

TOKYO — A Japanese court on Friday rejected patent claims made by Apple against Samsung, a victory for the company after its crushing defeat in the United States last week and a reminder of the global scope of the patent war between the two technology giants.

While Apple prevailed over Samsung in the United States, winning an award of $1 billion in damages from a federal jury, the two companies remain neck-and-neck in legal disputes in almost a dozen countries. A judge in South Korea, where Samsung is based, for example, handed down a split decision in a patent case shortly before the jury verdict in the American case.

“Internationally, it’s been a mixed picture” for Apple, said James Bessen, an economist and lecturer at the Boston University School of Law. “Part of that is because most other countries don’t have the same attitude toward software patenting that the U.S. has.”

For both companies, Japan makes up a far smaller proportion of sales than the all-important American market. But the Tokyo ruling suggests that despite Apple’s victory last week, the jostling between the two companies for the upper hand in the fast-growing smartphone and tablet businesses is just beginning.

The Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets did not violate an Apple patent on technology that synchronizes music and videos between devices and servers.

Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., sued Samsung in Tokyo last year in a case that sought 100 million yen, or $1.3 million, in damages.

That is a far cry from the billions in damages that Apple had sought from Samsung in federal court in San Jose, Calif. A nine-member jury there ultimately decided on an award of $1 billion after several days of deliberation.

[SmokingJoe]

Thank heaven quite a few courts outside the US, are not as stupid as American juries from California(OJ Simpson anyone?).
Back in July, a British judge actually ORDERED Apple to publish ads in British newspapers saying that Samsung did NOT in fact copy the iPad, after ruling against Apple.:

"U.K. judge orders Apple to publicly say Samsung did not copy iPad
July 19, 2012|By Salvador Rodriguez

A U.K. judge has ordered Apple to publicly say Samsung did not copy the iPad.
A U.K. judge has ordered Apple to publicly say rival Samsung did not copy the iPad with its line of Galaxy tablets.

Specifically, the judge ordered Apple to post it on its U.K. website and in advertisements in British newspapers that Samsung’s tablets don't infringe on the designs of the iPad."

Sadly, Apple managed to get that order suspended pending an appeal.

[montag813]

The U.S. jury was dumber than the O.J. Simpson one, and yet another reminder that these cases are far too difficult and critical to be left to the great unwashed.

[Postman]

or to judges given the disparity in decisions.

[dennisw]

American court ruled for Apple and Asian court ruled for Samsung. Apple can drop dead. They are stifling competition. I only use cell phones but if I got a smart phone it would be android. I never have and never will put a dime in those Cupertino thieves pockets. They’ll just donate it to Obama anyway because he is so gay friendly and maybe gay himself

[Krosan]

A man in Australia successfully patented a wheel, or a "circular transportation facilitation device" as he called it.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn965-wheel-patented-in-australia.html

[aruanan]

Tokyo Court Hands Win to Samsung Over Apple

They're just trying to make nice for all the atrocities committed by Japan against Korea, especially during WWII.