Samsung today won an important ruling against Apple in the Mannheim Regional Court.
The court ruled today that Samsung does not violate a patent Apple holds related to touchscreen functionality in mobile devices. According to Korea Times, which was first to report on the judgement, the patent in question relates to the way in which a touchscreen will interpret finger inputs.
Apple and Samsung have been waging a bitter patent battle all over the world. Neither company had gained an upperhand until last month when a jury in San Jose, Calif. charged Samsung with copying Apple's products. Over the next few months, Samsung could be forced to pay out over $1 billion in damages and see several of its mobile devices banned from sale.
According to Reuters, the court didn't just stop at Samsung. Motorola, which was also cited in an Apple lawsuit over the touchscreen technology, was likewise found to not be violating the iPhone maker's patent.Despite that loss, today's victory has breathed some new life into Samsung, which told Korea Times in a statement today that it plans to "continue to further develop and introduce products that enhance the lives of German consumers."
Even with today's loss, Apple isn't in any danger of running out of claims. The company has several lawsuits against both Samsung and Motorola floating around courts both in the U.S. and Europe. And many of those likely won't be resolved for several months.
Meanwhile, Apple's competitors are reportedly considering firing more salvos. Earlier this month, reports surfaced, saying Samsung would launch a lawsuit against Apple's iPhone 5 over its use of 4G LTE. The company claims the integration violates patents it holds related to the speedy wireless service.
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