A Japanese judge has ruled that Samsung did not violate an Apple patent on "synchronizing music and video data in devices to servers," Bloomberg reported this morning. While that victory is sure to be heralded by most (if not all) who are reading this story on this site, it's important to remember that this case is separate from the one Samsung recently split in Korea, as well as the $1.049 billion verdict against it in U.S. federal court a week ago. This synchronization lawsuit was initiated by Apple in Japan, and claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy SII (S2) and Galaxy Tab infringed on its patent, noted above. Apple was seeking 100 million yen ($1,273,400 USD) in the case, which eventually ruled in favor of Samsung, who did not have to pay any damages.
The damages seem quite low in comparison to what Apple was just awarded in its U.S. lawsuit victory, but it should be noted that only 5.7 percent of Apple's sales came from Japan last quarter, which is far less than the sales numbers each company posts in the U.S. market. Regardless of the size of the possible damages, it's still a victory for Samsung over a rival's patent holdings. We hope, but seriously doubt, that this'll be the last we hear about Samsung and Apple fighting in the courts.
[Source: Android Central]