Last December in Risk Management, we reported about the ongoing smartphone patent war being waged between Apple and Samsung that has seen each side seek injunctions throughout the world in an effort to stop their rival from selling products that they believe infringe on their patents. It’s a battle made all the more interesting by the fact that throughout all the legal manuevering, Apple remains Samsung’s biggest customer for smartphone parts.
The decision to ban the Galaxy S III will need to be made by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who is already set to preside over another Apple vs. Samsung patent trial involving other Samsung phones and tablets expected to begin next month. Koh has said that if Apple seeks the new injunction, it will likely force her to push back the other trail date as she will be forced to reshuffle the other cases on her docket.
“I cannot be an Apple v. Samsung judge,” she said.
So it would seem that Apple’s next move will be based on what case it considers to be of higher priority–the longer-standing issue or the new threat? Either way, the smartphone wars show no sign of a cease-fire.