Apple has finally won its case that seeks to ban Samsung smartphones in the U.S. It was awarded by Judge Lucy Koh, who ruled on the charges of several patent infringements. However, the ban only applies to ancient Samsung devices that are so old they are no longer being offered in the market.
The devices that Samsung was ordered to stop selling include the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3 and Samsung Stratosphere. The injunction is part of the $119.6 million award that Apple got from the May 2014 verdict.
"The court finds that Apple will suffer irreparable harm if Samsung continues to use its use of the infringing features, that monetary damages cannot adequately compensate Apple for this resulting irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities and public interest favor entry of a permanent injunction," Koh wrote in her filing, according to CNET.
Many believe that the recent legal victory is merely symbolic for Apple. It is, certainly, not applicable to any of the devices that are still around, Engadget noted. The ongoing legal tussle is merely out of pride, or for appearance's sake, as the two companies try to address the remaining litigations after several have been settled.
The injunction will not affect Samsung's customers in the U.S. However, the Korean tech giant disputes the ban, arguing that it sets a precedent that can harm customers in the future. "We are very disappointed that Apple has been granted an injunction on select Samsung legacy mobile phones. While this will not impact American consumers, it is another example of Apple abusing the judicial system to create bad legal precedent which can harm consumer choice for generations to come," Samsung said in an official statement.
