Tokyo court rules Apple doesn't violate Samsung patent

IDG News Service - A Tokyo court ruled Thursday that Apple did not infringe a Samsung patent, a small win for Apple in the continuing legal wrangling between the two companies.

The patent in question was related to a wireless transmission technology, according to Japanese media reports. Samsung spokesman Nam Ki Yung confirmed the lawsuit was filed in Japan against Apple for a "standards-related patent."

"We are disappointed by today's court decision. Following a thorough review of the ruling, we will take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights," Samsung said in a statement.

An Apple spokesman in Tokyo said the company did not have a comment.

The decision by the Tokyo District Court follows a ruling in August that Samsung did not infringe a patent related to synching smartphones and tablets with media devices.

Several patent lawsuits between the two companies are still ongoing in the country. Japanese legal monetary awards are typically smaller than in other countries, and the courts sometimes issue separate rulings for individual patents in a single case.

Apple's iPhones and tablets are dominant in the Japanese market, far outselling rival devices from Samsung and domestic manufacturers.

Earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division a judge signaled she would like to put the second of two patent cases between the companies on hold while the first is resolved.

Apple is pursuing the two against Samsung before the same judge at the same time, with both accusing Samsung of violating patents in products including smartphones and tablets. Samsung denies the allegations and has filed countersuits of its own.

The iPhone maker scored a massive victory in August when a jury awarded it US$1.05 billion in damages, but it is still fighting to get an injunction on some Samsung products. Samsung has appealed that case.