A South Korean court has ruled that Samsung did not
copy Apple's iPhone - but awarded damages to both technology companies
for infringing patents.
The judgement, which only affects the South Korean market, is part of a
bitter global battle over patents and innovation between the two
rivals.
The court denied Apple's claim that its competitor had illegally copied
its design, ruling that rectangular screens with corners existed before
the iPhone and iPad.
There was "no possibility" that consumers would confuse smartphones made by the companies, the judges in Seoul said.
Samsung was ordered to pay compensation of 25m won (£13,909) to its
competitor for infringing Apple's so-called bounce-back technology, used
when scrolling on touch screens.
While Apple must pay its rival 40m won (£22,255) for breaching two of the Korean company's technology patents
The amounts awarded were significantly less than the 100m won (£55,638) sought by each side.
The court also imposed a partial ban on some product sales in South
Korea, although the ruling did not affect either company's latest
generation phones: the Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S3.
Samsung launched the case after Apple filed a lawsuit in a US court in April 2011, kicking off the legal tussle.
Apple accuses Samsung of copying designs and infringing other patents,
and Samsung says Apple breached its patent for wireless communication.
Jurors began deliberating on Wednesday in the US, following a three week federal trial in San Jose, California.
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