South Korean Court Rules Apple Didn't Violate Samsung Patents

Samsung has lost a case against Apple on its home turf. A Seoul court ruled that Apple didn't violate the Samsung patents it was accused of infringing on.

Samsung launched the lawsuit in hopes of stopping the sale of some iPhone and iPad models in South Korea. The company claimed that Apple infringed on three patents relating to messaging technology used on mobile devices. The iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 were accused of violating two out of three patents.

The Seoul Central District Court rejected all of Samsung's claims, including its request for Apple to pay 100 million won (US$95,092) in damages. Two of the patents were declared invalid because they can be easily developed using existing technologies.


"We are disappointed by the court's decision," Samsung said in a statement Thursday, after the ruling. "We will continue to take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights."

In a separate case last year, the South Korean court ruled largely in favor of Samsung, ruling Apple violated two of the company's patents. However, those patents were "standard essential" patents.

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