Apple to Block Sales of Galaxy S III in the U.S.
Another Apple-Samsung match sparked as the iPhone maker filed a lawsuit against the Galaxy SIII maker aiming to ban the sales of the new Galaxy device in the US.
Last Tuesday, Apple filed a preliminary injunction against Samsung in the District Court for the Northern District of California to ban the sales of the Galaxy SIII. Apple is accusing Samsung of infringing software related patents. The patents submitted in court are U.S. Patent No. 8,086,604, which covers “unified search” and No. 5,946,647, which covers “links for structures,” both already included in their ongoing patent dispute.
“Because the Galaxy S III contains two of the exact infringing features already at issue with respect to the Galaxy Nexus, the S III is not more than colorably different from the Galaxy Nexus,” Apple wrote in its filing.
Samsung was quick to comment that US sales of the Galaxy SIII will go as planned later this month and they will do everything to fight off Apple’s new battle plan. AT&T has already started accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy SIII.
“Samsung believes Apple’s request is without merit. We will vigorously oppose the request and demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S III is innovative and distinctive,” Samsung said in a written statement.
The new case was presented to US District Judge Lucy Koh who, coincidentally, is also the presiding judge over their previous case which will start trial next month. Apple has been successful in blocking sales of Samsung devices in other countries but analysts believe that this new filing may not go too well for Apple.
“I don’t think Apple will succeed,” James Song, a Seoul- based analyst at Daewoo Securities Co., said in a phone interview “Smartphones aren’t uniquely Apple’s products any more. It won’t be easy to find convincing reasons to block sales.”
This is the latest in an ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung, which has seen its fair share of patent infringement cases and requests to block the sales of each other’s devices in various countries around the world. Apple and Samsung are the two powerhouse smartphone manufacturers right now, and the rivals were once close partners.
As Apple’s WWDC event draws near and the iPhone maker tends to unveil a new device at the beginning of the summer, this recent jab against Samsung seems like a counterattack to the South Korean’s preemptive strike to beat Apple to market, should they be launching a new iPhone this year.
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