Samsung says ruling affirms innovative qualities of its products


A ruling from a Dutch court rejecting most of Apple’s claims that Samsung’s smartphones and tablets infringe its intellectual property is expected to give the local electronics company an advantage in its ongoing legal dispute with the U.S. tech giant.

On Wednesday, a district court in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled that Samsung Electronics should not be banned from selling its Galaxy S II smartphone, along with two other mobile phone models, in the Netherlands. 

With the ruling, the Dutch court upheld only one of Apple’s claims regarding patent infringement concerning interface for viewing and navigating photographs on a touchscreen phone.

The court rejected nine of the 10 allegations with regards to the mobile phones. It also said it could not see Samsung’s Galaxy Tab as having infringed Apple’s patents.

The Korean electronics maker welcomed the ruling.

Brendon Gore, Samsung’s spokesman for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said in a statement that the ruling “is an affirmation that the Galaxy range of products is innovative and distinctive. With regard to the single infringement cited in the ruling, we will take all possible measures including legal action to ensure that there is no disruption in the availability of our Galaxy smartphones to Dutch consumers.”

Samsung also stressed that the ruling, which will go into effect after Oct. 14, does not affect Samsung’s sales in the rest of Europe.

Earlier, Apple had won an injunction for a shelving of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets in Germany.

Samsung remained silent on what result it predicts for the outcome of the dispute, but sources said the company seemed to believe it has a good chance at winning the cases.

The two companies were caught up in a patent battle earlier this year after Apple filed a lawsuit accusing Samsung of infringing its patents in what was to be only one of a wide range of suits against the Korean company.

Samsung retaliated with countersuits and hearings are scheduled for both sides later this year.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)