A Japan court on Friday ruled against Apple's claim that Samsung infringed on one of its utility patents, handing the Korean company a small victory after its punishing loss in a similar U.S. case.
The Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung's products do not infringe upon an Apple patent for transferring media content between two devices, reports Reuters.
Further reports from Bloomberg note that Judge Tamotsu Shoji handed down the verdict, ruling Samsung’s Galaxy devices including the Galaxy Tab, are not in violation of Apple’s Patent No. 4,204,977 for synchronizing music and video data in devices to servers.
“It’s hard to believe the products belong to the range of technologies of the claimant,†Judge Shoji said, ordering Apple to pay the legal fees associated with the suit.
Apple first sued Samsung in Japan last year, asserting claims against the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S II, seeking 100 million yen in damages. The Galaxy lineup is currently sold in Japan by the nation's largest wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo.
The ruling comes on the heels of the landmark Apple v. Samsung U.S. trial that found Samsung in violation of six Apple design and utility patents. Apple was ultimately awarded over $1 billion and is now seeking a permanent sales ban against eight infringing devices.