Accepting the letters is good news for Verizon and T-Mobile because it means Judge Lucy Koh will at least consider their arguments in Samsung’s defense. It doesn’t, however, mean the court will act on the letters, or avoid imposing an injunction.
Verizon and T-Mobile to court: Can you hear me now?
Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing, and have filed lawsuits against each other in the U.S. and other countries.
Verizon and T-Mobile both argued that blocking the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy phones would hurt their businesses because they rely on the handsets for their high speed data networks. While Verizon simply submitted its letter to the court, T-Mobile requested to participate in an injunction hearing set for October 13.
A German court recently upheld an injunction blocking the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the country. Samsung has filed an appeal in hopes of overturning that ruling.
Apple was also awarded a temporary injunction through a Dutch court blocking the sale of some Galaxy devices in the European Union, and Samsung has agreed to postpone sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia until the end of September, but now is facing the possibility of an injunction in that country, if it can’t work out a deal with Apple soon.
In an effort to avoid an injunction in Australia, Samsung said it wanted to negotiate with Apple, and has even gone so far as to say it would strip features out of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet model it hopes to sell in the country.