Samsung ditches Apple countersuit

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Samsung has dropped one of its patent infringement suits against Apple, but the intense legal battle is far from over.

The South Korean manufacturer ditched the suit on 30 June, saying it would continue to pursue another patent case in the San Jose court.

Samsung said it would continue to fight its patent rights, claiming it had only dropped the single patent “to streamline the legal proceedings.”

“Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property,” Nam Ki Yung, a spokesperson for the electronics firm, told Bloomberg.

The two tech giants are involved in various patent disputes across the world, including in the UK.

In April, Apple claimed Samsung’s Galaxy phones and tablets had “slavishly” copied the iPhone and iPad designs.

Over the weekend, Apple filed a motion for preliminary injunction in the US against four Samsung products. The iPhone maker effectively wants to see the Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Droid Charge and Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices banned from sale in the US.

“Shooting for a preliminary injunction is a bold gamble for Apple. If Apple's motion is granted, Samsung will be forced within a matter of a few months - possibly less than two months - to take it flagship Android-based products from the US market,” said IP activist Florian Mueller, in a blog post.

“Just the possibility of this happening could lead Samsung to settle with Apple early on. But if Samsung doesn't cave and Apple's motion fails, Apple's position will look weak.”

The patent wars have been raging fiercely in the smartphone space. The bitter dispute between Apple and Nokia came to a conclusion, with the iPhone manufacturer agreeing to hand its rival a one-off payment as well as ongoing royalties.

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