The patent war between Apple and Samsung is far from over. Both companies are still pretty much at each other’s throats, although safe to say that the intensity of it isn’t quite the same as it was several years ago when it first began, although a recent victory by Apple could possibly kick things off again.
The latest ruling by the US appeals court found that a ruling back in 2014 should have enforced a ban that would have prevented Samsung from using certain Apple-patented features. However back then, the judge presiding over the case felt that monetary damages was sufficient in resolving any potential harm done to Apple.
This is where the recent ruling disagrees. According to Judge Kimberly A. Moore, “The right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important, and the right to maintain exclusivity — a hallmark and crucial guarantee of patent rights deriving from the Constitution itself — is likewise important.”
So what does this mean for Samsung? It means that Samsung might be forced to change certain features of their phones moving forward, assuming they want to keep selling their devices in the US market. Naturally Samsung won’t be taking this lying down as they have said they will be exercising their rights “to have the full Court of Appeals review today’s decision.”