Foss Patent is reporting that Samsung has withdrawntheir standard-essential patents from the upcoming trial against Apple in the United States District Court of California, which is scheduled to begin on March 31. As a result, Apple has withdrew all of its counterclaims relating to Samsung’s SEPs, including all FRAND counterclaims.
“There’s nothing in the stipulation that indicates why Samsung made this decision, but whatever the reason(s) may be, it’s a good thing in my view,” Florian Mueller writes for Foss Patent. “Samsung has already prevailed over Apple on SEPs in different jurisdictions (including at the ITC last year, though an import ban was ultimately vetoed). It makes sense for Samsung to focus on non-SEPs at the upcoming trial, and especially on its proven defensive strength.”
The removal of these patents has significantly lessened the burden on the jury in the case. The two companies will now focus on battling it out with their respective non-SEPs.
Last Thursday, Judge Lucy Koh awarded Apple US$929.8 million as a result of as an outcome of a jury trial in 2012. However, the Cupertino-based company was denied Apple’s request for a permanent ban on a number of Samsung devices found to infringe on Apple’s patents.
