Samsung Fails to Win Sales Ban in Patent Fight on Apple IPhone 4S in Italy
Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), the maker of the Galaxy mobile devices, failed to win a sales ban on Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s latest iPhone in Italy, as a global patent dispute between the two companies continues.
A Milan court yesterday rejected the Suwon, South Korea- based company’s bid to block the iPhone 4S in Italy, said Nam Ki Yung, a Seoul-based spokesman for Samsung, confirming an earlier report by Ansa news agency.
Samsung, which today reported a 73 percent jump in fourth- quarter operating profit after selling a record number of handsets last year, also failed to win a sales ban on the iPhone 4S in France last month. Samsung and Apple have been suing each other in multiple countries over patents related to mobile technologies and designs since the iPhone maker accused the South Korean rival of copying its products last year.
“We will review the ruling and consider all available measures to further protect our intellectual property rights and stop this free riding on our technology,” Samsung said in a statement, referring to yesterday’s court decision.
Steve Park, an Apple spokesman in Seoul, reiterated the company’s earlier statement on the dispute that Apple needs to protect its intellectual property against “blatant copying.”
Samsung fell 1.4 percent to 1,040,000 won at the close of trading in Seoul, the lowest level since Dec. 20. The stock was the biggest contributor (KOSPI) to the benchmark Kospi index (KOSPI)’s 1.1 percent decline.
The South Korean electronics maker overtook Apple as the world’s largest maker of smartphones in the third quarter, helped by the popularity of the Galaxy line of products.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jun Yang in Seoul at jyang180@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe at mtighe4@bloomberg.net
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