Dutch court rules that Apple violated Samsung’s patent rights
As the feud between Apple and Samsung over IP protection continues, a Dutch court has ordered Apple to pay damages to Samsung over patent violation in the Netherlands.
In its ruling, the Dutch court ruled that Apple had violated a patent held by Samsung relating to the way phones and tablets connect to the internet. The violation applies to iPhones 3G, 3GS and 4, as well as iPad 1 and 2.
It remains unclear on how much Apple will have to pay Samsung in damages. The Dutch court ruled that the amount will have to reflect the sales of Apple’s iPhone and iPad in the Netherlands since 4 August 2010, which the court said was the date when Apple could have known it was violating Samsung's patent.
To date, the two firms have been involved in several patent cases relating to the designs of their respective products. Despite US judge’s order that the chief executives of both firms meet to settle their legal differences, Apple has, since then, moved to seek a ban on sales of a Samsung tablet computer and the latest range of its Galaxy smartphones.
