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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Apple and Samsung patent cases dismissed | Apple and Samsung patent cases dismissed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Apple and Samsung have both had patent lawsuits - taken out against each other - thrown out by a German court. | Apple and Samsung have both had patent lawsuits - taken out against each other - thrown out by a German court. |
| A spokesman for the Mannheim state court said judges had dismissed both cases involving ownership of the "slide-to-unlock" feature used on their respective smartphones. | A spokesman for the Mannheim state court said judges had dismissed both cases involving ownership of the "slide-to-unlock" feature used on their respective smartphones. |
| Apple, Samsung and Motorola Mobility have been engaging in increasingly-bitter patent fights around the world. | Apple, Samsung and Motorola Mobility have been engaging in increasingly-bitter patent fights around the world. |
| These have often resulted in temporary bans on key products. | These have often resulted in temporary bans on key products. |
| For example, Apple won a patent dispute against Motorola Mobility regarding "slide-to-unlock" in Munich last month. | For example, Apple won a patent dispute against Motorola Mobility regarding "slide-to-unlock" in Munich last month. |
| And Apple won a court decision in Australia to ban the sale of Samsung's Galaxy tablet in that country - a decision that was later overturned. | And Apple won a court decision in Australia to ban the sale of Samsung's Galaxy tablet in that country - a decision that was later overturned. |
| 'Blatant copying' | |
| An Apple spokesman in London told the BBC that the company would not comment, but referred to a previous statement where it accused Samsung of "blatant copying". | |
| Samsung said: "We are disappointed that the court did not share our views regarding the infringement by Apple of this specific patent in Germany." | |
| The company vowed to appeal against the dismissal of its lawsuit against Apple, and said a separate case regarding four alleged patent infringements is still pending in Mannheim. | |
| "We will continue to assert our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple's claims to ensure our continued ability to provide innovative mobile products to consumers," it said. | |
| Apple sells the best-selling iPhone and iPad devices, while Samsung sells a range of phones that use Google's Android software. | Apple sells the best-selling iPhone and iPad devices, while Samsung sells a range of phones that use Google's Android software. |
| To complicate things further, search giant Google last year acquired Motorola Mobility - mainly for its patents. | To complicate things further, search giant Google last year acquired Motorola Mobility - mainly for its patents. |
| Apple has accused Samsung of copying its design and infringing its patents. | |
| For its part, Samsung has said that Apple infringed its 3G patents. It has sought a ban on sales of Apple's iPhone 4S in Australia, Japan, France and Italy. | For its part, Samsung has said that Apple infringed its 3G patents. It has sought a ban on sales of Apple's iPhone 4S in Australia, Japan, France and Italy. |
| Apple is expected to launch the iPad 3 later this month, which may set off another round of patent lawsuits. | Apple is expected to launch the iPad 3 later this month, which may set off another round of patent lawsuits. |