Seoul - A Seoul court ruled on Friday that Apple and
Samsung had infringed on each other's patents on mobile devices, and
ordered a partial ban on sales of their products in South Korea.
The
court ruling comes as the two firms are locked in a bitter patent
battle that could determine their fight for supremacy in the global
smartphone market.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled that
Apple breached two of Samsung's technology patents, and ordered it to
pay 40 million won ($35 242) in damages, court officials said.
It also ordered Samsung to pay 25 million won for violating one of Apple's patents, Yonhap news agency said.
The
court said the firms must halt sales of infringing products in South
Korea, according to Dow Jones Newswires which said the banned products
did not include the latest models of Samsung and Apple devices.
Impact
Samsung
filed a lawsuit against Apple in Seoul in April 2011 regarding
infringement of patents related to telecommunications standards.
Apple responded in June by filing a counter suit claiming Samsung copied the design and user interface of its iPhone and iPad.
The
split ruling is not expected to make any impact on the broader dispute
which involves legal action in several nations including the US and
Australia.
The South Korean decision comes ahead of a high-stakes
US jury verdict that is expected to signal the future course of the
rival firms' tussle for smartphone supremacy.
In the US court,
Apple is seeking more than $2.5bn after accusing the Korean firm of
infringing designs and other patents. Samsung says Apple infringed its
patents for wireless communication.
It is one of several legal
cases around the world involving the two electronics giants in the
hottest part of the tech sector - tablet computers and smartphones.
While
the results so far have been mixed in courts in Europe and Australia,
Samsung has a lot at stake in the US case, which could result in large
damages or injunctions against its products in the American market.
A
recent survey by research firm IDC showed Samsung extended its lead
over Apple in the smartphone market in the second quarter despite
slowing demand for mobile phones.
Samsung shipped 50.2 million
smartphones globally in the April - June period, while Apple sold 26
million iPhones. IDC said Samsung held 32.6% of the market to 16.9% for
Apple.
Samsung has steadfastly denied abusing Apple patents and
countered in court that Apple has been taking advantage of some of the
South Korean company's patented technology for wireless connections.