No surprise: Samsung wants US injunction hearings moved up
A court schedule that pushes the next phase of the Apple v. Samsung patent trial back to December 6th isn’t sitting well with the company that won a majority of its infringement claims last week. Apple is urging Judge Lucy Koh to consider hearing arguments on injunctions facing eight devices at the same time that a decision will be made on the current ban facing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in late September.
Surprisingly, the Tab 10.1 was found not to infringe on Apple design patents (though it was found to infringe upon several software patents) and is likely to see its sales ban lifted. Given the timing of the December hearings, Apple faces a situation that could still see Samsung benefiting from holiday sales of infringing devices. If Apple can’t get a ruling on the eight devices in question before then the company is asking that the court delay the September hearing on the Tab 10.1 until the later date, effectively keeping the injunction on the tablet in place.
Did we mention that the end of the actual trial was really just the beginning of the long and drawn out legal process that likely will extend past the point that any of the infringing devices are considered relevant in the marketplace. Still, the end result will play a crucial role in Samsung’s mobile business moving forward.
[via Electronista]