Apple v. Samsung: US judge grants injunction on Galaxy Nexus, Apple first asked for a preliminary injunction on US sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus devices back in February, and the court has now ruled, granting the motion and imposing a ban — at least temporarily. The Nexus is the most recent implementation of Google's pure Android experience on another manufacturer's hardware.
Reuters legal reporter Dan Levine, who was in the courtroom for the ruling, has indicated that the injunction focuses on Samsung's infringement of US patent number 8,086,604, and that the injunction can go into effect after Apple posts a bond of around $96 million. The '604 patent covers searching multiple areas for information (on a device and elsewhere) through a single search interface, and using predetermined heuristic algorithms corresponding to each search area — a lot like Apple's Siri. That's a big deal because the infringement finding is directed to core voice and search functionality within Android. And that's before considering the recent introduction of the Google Now system. Although Apple won an injunction on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 earlier this week — also from Judge Koh — that tablet device is already obsolete and provided Apple with little more than a hollow victory. The Galaxy Nexus is a currently relevant product and this injunction is much trickier for Samsung.
Apple's original motion alleged that the Nexus devices infringed three patents in addition to the '604: US Patent Nos. 5,946,647 (actionable linking), 8,046,721 (slide-to-unlock) and 8,074,172 (touch screen word suggestion). The official court ruling isn't publicly available just yet, so we aren't exactly clear on all of the details and reasoning. In order to obtain a preliminary injunction, which is considered an extraordinary remedy in patent litigation, Apple had to prove that the asserted patents were likely infringed, likely valid, and that it would be irreparably harmed by Samsung's sales of the Galaxy Nexus. We've seen in past cases that this "irreparable harm" prong of the test has proven to be the most difficult for Apple and other companies to adequately establish.
Apple v. Samsung: US judge grants injunction on Galaxy Nexus
