A Tokyo court ruled that Samsung did not infringe an Apple patent in a locally filed lawsuit, a minor victory for Samsung in the ongoing legal battles between the two companies.
The ruling by Tokyo District Judge Tamotsu Shoji concerned a single patent related to synching smartphones and tablets with media devices. Apple is still pursuing other lawsuits in the country.
Judge Shoji dismissed the lawsuit in a brief statement to the court, saying Samsung's products do not fall under Apple's technology patents. The suit was originally filed by Apple in August last year.
"We welcome the court's decision, which confirmed our long-held position that our products do not infringe Apple's intellectual property. We will continue to offer highly innovative products to consumers, and continue our contributions towards the mobile industry's development," Samsung said in a statement.
A spokesman for Apple Japan said the company had no comment.
A similar lawsuit in Korea ended in a draw, when a Seoul Central District Court said both companies have infringed each other's patents, imposing small financial damages and a halt in sales of older products from both companies.
Apple's smartphones and tablets are dominant in the Japanese market, far outselling rival devices from Samsung.
IDG News Service