A South Korean court on Thursday said Apple Inc. (AAPL), the maker of the iPhone, and Samsung Electronics Co. infringed on each other’s patents for mobile devices. It also ruled that they must stop selling some products in South Korea and pay damages, a Seoul court said.
The court said that Apple infringed two of Samsung’s patents, the Seoul Central District Court said in a ruling today. Samsung, the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, infringed one Apple patent, though the Suwon, South Korea-based company didn’t copy the design of the iPhone.
The two companies are locked in a global paptent battle in four continents. Both have accused each other of copying products, design and technology as they vie with each other for the dominance of the smartphone market.
Bloomberg Industries has estimated the market to be worth $219 billion last year, where Samsung and Cupertino, California-based Apple are the world’s two biggest manufacturers. |