The eventual resolution of last year’s big patent trial between Apple and Samsung is one step closer after Samsung was denied a retrial over one of the patents concerned: the ‘bounce-back’ or ‘rubber-banding’ effect when a user scrolls past the end of a document.
At the trial, which concluded a year ago tomorrow, each company accused the other of infringing on a range of patents …
The jury found that Apple didn’t infringe any of Samsung’s patents, while Samsung was found to have wilfully infringed five of Apple’s patents, including Patent ‘381: the rubber-banding effect. Apple’s original patent application claimed 20 points of originality for the rubber-banding effect; the US Patent Office denied 17 of them but granted three.
Samsung was originally ordered to pay just over $1B in damages, a sum later reduced to $450M after US District Judge Lucy Koh found that the $1 billion award was the result of “an impermissible legal theory.” A new trial has been set for November to finalise the damages award.
Samsung moved for a retrial specifically on the rubber-banding patent, continuing to deny that it had infringed patent ‘381. CNET reports that this was denied late yesterday.
US District Court Judge Lucy Koh issued a ruling late Thursday denying a Samsung motion for a new trial regarding the “bounce-back,” or ‘381 patent. Samsung filed this motion in July.
Apple had argued that the move was a delaying tactic on the part of Samsung in an attempt to put off the time at which it would have to pay damages.
Apple won a similar case in Japan back in June.
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I know people bitch about this patent, but the rubber banding scroll is a hallmark of iOS. Reminds me of when Steve first showed off the iPhone. “You had me at scrolling”
Wasnt enough that Droid took the basic look and feel of iOS but Samsung had to copy the iPhone form factor. The litigation took so long that products in the ruling are old but will set an important precedence for future cases. Nearly all Android fan boys forget the fact that Apple was the first company to introduce a fully touch screen/multi-gesture smart phone.