Ruling in Netherlands seen crucial as it will likely affect other European court verdicts



Aside from Samsung Electronics’ multibillion dollar patent suit against Apple Inc. in the U.S., the two are expected to stage another battle at a court in the Netherlands this Friday.

According to Samsung, the two parties plan to face off again in Europe, starting at a court in The Hague on Friday, local time, on Sept. 7.

Earlier in June, the court in The Hague handed the first victory to Samsung by claiming Apple violated the Suwon-based firm’s patent involving third-generation wireless telecommunications technology.

The court also ordered that the Cupertino-based company pay damages since Apple’s wireless gadgets like the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4 as well as the iPad 1 and 2 were in patent violation.

Industry sources say winning the court case in the Netherlands is crucial for Samsung because it also has court battles set to take off in Germany, France and Italy in the following months.

The world’s top smartphone maker also has a share of about 40 percent in the European market for smartphones, which is another reason the firm needed to win the suit and maintain a positive image.

“It is crucial for Samsung to win the votes in Europe for it is a region that is free from the fairness disputes that are being raised in the home turfs of the two electronic giants -- the U.S. along with Korea,” said an industry source.

A court in the U.K. also ruled in July that Samsung’s three different tablet PCs in the Galaxy Tab lineup did not copy Apple’s iPad designs.

As a result, Apple was requested to post a notice on the firm’s U.K. website and in British newspapers for six months to let people know that Samsung did not infringe on Apple’s registered designs.

Apple, in the meantime, made three additional filings in the Northern District of California last week, adding the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note to its accused list of copycat products.

With the possibility that it may impact Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note 2 if accepted, Samsung’s share prices slipped on Monday, closing at 1.21 million won ($1,076) per share, down 1.22 percent from Friday.

The Galaxy Note 2, which Samsung’s mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun stressed as the firm’s most innovative product, was unveiled for the first time at the electronics show in Berlin last week.




By Cho Ji-hyun
(sharon@heraldcorp.com)