Apple wins patent battle against Samsung on older-model smartphones

Apple yesterday won another patent battle against arch rival Samsung as a court in California ordered a ban on older-model Samsung smartphones for infringing on a patented Apple technology.

Judge Lucy Koh from the Northern California District San Jose court ruled that Samsung has infringed on patented Apple technology for automatically correcting typed words and for sliding a finger across a screen to unlock a device.

Samsung devices included in the ban are Samsung Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II Skyrocket. Galaxy S III and Samsung Stratosphere.

But none of these older generation models starting from 2012 are currently sold in the US market.

Judge Lucy ruled that a permanent injunction was necessary since ''irreparable harm'' would be done to Apple if Samsung continued using the patented technology and monetary damages would not be sufficient compensation.

Koh also barred Samsung from developing or selling software in the US that would have this feature.

"We would like to reassure our millions of loyal customers that all of our flagship smartphones, which are used and loved by American consumers, will remain for sale and available for customer service support in the US," Samsung said in a statement.

"We are very disappointed that Apple has been granted an injunction on select Samsung legacy mobile phones."

"We would like to reassure our millions of loyal customers that all of our flagship smartphones, which are used and loved by American consumers, will remain for sale and available for customer service support in the US," the statement added.

The two have been locked in litigation since 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for alleged infringement on Apple patents with Samsung's popular Galaxy line of Android smartphones.

Besides the US, the two companies are fighting legal battles over patent issues in  Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, and the UK.

However, even as the companies faced each other off in courts, Samsung went on to sell more smartphones globally than Apple, which had introduced the iPhone in 2007, to set off the new smartphone era.

Both companies tentatively agreed last August to withdraw ongoing legal proceedings regarding patent infringement outside of the US, but ongoing cases in US courts would proceed for now.