X
Business

Apple disallowed from adding Galaxy S4 to Samsung patent suit

The iPhone and iPad maker cannot add its main rival's smartphone to a list of devices it wants banned for allegedly infringing its patents, a court rules.
Written by Zack Whittaker, Contributor

A court has told Apple that it cannot add its main rival in the smartphone space to a list of allegedly patent infringing devices.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal said Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone should not be added to the list as it would be a "tax on the court's resources."

"They consume considerable amounts of the court’s time and energy," Grewal added, according to Bloomberg, and noted that each time the two companies appear in court they take time away from others who "also require and are entitled to the court's attention."

The patent spat continues between Apple and Samsung over technology included in the latest smartphones, including the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3.

Apple had floated the idea of adding the Galaxy S4 to its second suit against Samsung by substituting one allegedly infringing device for the S4, which Apple had determined "is an infringing device."

Apple's lawyer Josh Krevitt said excluding the latest Samsung smartphone would require Apple to submit a brand new suit, because by the time of the trial the smartphones will be out of date.

In an earlier case, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion in damages, following the ruling that the Korea-based electronics firm infringed its rival's design patents. The damages were lowered to just over half the figure, and a new damages trial was ordered for November.

Editorial standards