The eventual resolution of last year’s big patent trial between Apple and Samsung is one step closer after Samsung was denied a retrial over one of the patents concerned: the ‘bounce-back’ or ‘rubber-banding’ effect when a user scrolls past the end of a document.
At the trial, which concluded a year ago tomorrow, each company accused the other of infringing on a range of patents …
The jury found that Apple didn’t infringe any of Samsung’s patents, while Samsung was found to have wilfully infringed five of Apple’s patents, including Patent ‘381: the rubber-banding effect. Apple’s original patent application claimed 20 points of originality for the rubber-banding effect; the US Patent Office denied 17 of them but granted three.
Samsung was originally ordered to pay just over $1B in damages, a sum later reduced to $450M after US District Judge Lucy Koh found that the $1 billion award was the result of “an impermissible legal theory.” A new trial has been set for November to finalise the damages award.
Samsung moved for a retrial specifically on the rubber-banding patent, continuing to deny that it had infringed patent ‘381. CNET reports that this was denied late yesterday.
Apple had argued that the move was a delaying tactic on the part of Samsung in an attempt to put off the time at which it would have to pay damages.
Apple won a similar case in Japan back in June.
