A South Korean court banned the sale of Apple and Samsung devices and punished both companies with fines.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Seoul District Court found Apple and Samsung guilty of mutual patent infringement and banned the sale of devices in South Korea: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPad 2 and twelve Samsung gadgets, including Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab. Plus, the court ordered Apple to pay damages in the amount of $35,000, and Samsung in the amount of $22,000.
It is emphasized that the latest products of both giants were not banned. As the analyst of Taurus Investment Securities Kim Hyun Sik notes, “banned gadgets came out quite a long time ago, so the impact of the ban on sales will be small.”
According to the court’s decision, Apple violated two Samsung patents related to wireless data transmission, and Samsung violated Apple’s patent for an effect related to scrolling features in iOS. At the same time, the court found Samsung not guilty of violating patents for the design of devices.
Apple and Samsung have been fighting since April 2011. Patent proceedings between these companies are currently being considered in the USA, Great Britain and Australia. Moreover, a key role in this struggle may be played by the US court decision on the claim from Apple.