Apple EU Design May Lose Reach in Samsung Case, Court Says
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A European Union design Apple Inc. used to win a sales ban on Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy 10.1 tablets may be of limited value after new evidence was introduced in an appeal of the decision, a German court said.
Samsung introduced as evidence a U.S. utility patent using a type of flat screen that was published 13 days before Apple filed its EU design right. That fact may limit the range of protection the world’s most valuable technology company gets, said Wilhelm Berneke, the presiding judge at the hearing in Dusseldorf. Apple may still be able to rely on fair-competition rules for a German ban, he said today, adding that the court’s assessment is preliminary. A ruling is scheduled for Jan. 31.