Apple seek sanctions against Samsung statement

Apple are asking a federal judge to impose sanctions against a statement that Samsung issued which included evidence the judge excluded from the high profile patent infringement trial.

Apple sent a letter to U.S. District judge Lucy Koh in San Jose. they said that Samsung's July 31st release through the media was designed to target the jurors highlighting arguments against allegations that Samsung copied the iPhone and iPad.

Apple lawyer William Lee wrote in the letter “This deliberate attempt to influence the trial with inadmissible evidence is both improper and unethical. Apple will be filing today an emergency motion for sanctions and other relief that may be appropriate.”

Apple are seeking $2.5 billion for their claims that Samsung infringed patents which covered designs and technology for mobile products. Samsung have countersued and are going to present claims that Apple are infringing two patents covering mobile technology standards and three utility patents.

Judge Koh blocked Samsung presenting images of a smartphone that Samsung claim it was developing in 2006, the year before Apple introduced the iPhone. Koh rejected Samsung's request to reconsider her ruling for what she said was at least the third time.

The emailed statement from Samsung said they were ‘not allowed to tell the jury the full story and show the pre-iPhone design for that and other phones that were in development at Samsung in 2006, before the iPhone.”

Samsung are not on good terms with Judge Lucy Koh, as they sent evidence to the press which she wouldn’t allow in court. They tried to persuade her to allow it, and when she refused Samsung sent out a press release containing the ‘Sony style’ iPhone prototype saying “It established beyond doubt that Samsung did not copy the iPhone design”.

Kitguru says: Samsung are clearly feeling they can't get their points across due to the judge's rulings, but they are going to need to be careful they don't make matters worse for themselves.

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