Tokyo court sides with Samsung over Apple in global patent fight

A Tokyo court has sided with Samsung in its patent battle with Apple, ruling the South Korean electronics company did not infringe on its rival’s patents.

It’s the latest development in the complex global fight between the two companies over mobile device technology. Court battles over four continents have created a patchwork of rulings and product bans.

Last week, for instance, a nine-member federal jury in San Jose found in Apple’s favor, awarding the company $1.05 billion in damages. That same day, a three-judge panel in South Korea ruled that both companies had infringed on each other’s patents and banned the sale of some Apple and Samsung products in the country. Both sides will have to pay limited damages.

In Japan, Samsung’s win was much smaller than Apple’s resounding victory in the U.S., where Samsung was found to have infringed on six of seven of Apple’s patents.

A panel of three judges in Tokyo found that Samsung’s smartphones and a tablet computer didn’t infringe on Apple’s patent for synchronizing music and video data with servers, according to Bloomberg. The court also refused Apple’s request to ban Samsung from selling eight models of Galaxy products in Japan.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple was ordered to pay the costs of the lawsuit, Bloomberg said.

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