Samsung Asks U.S. Court to Halt Apple Retrial

Samsung on Wednesday asked a U.S. court to halt an Apple damages retrial, which is currently under jury deliberation. Samsung made the request after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said an Apple patent might not be valid.

The patent, called "pinch to zoom," allows a part of an image to be enlarged using the thumb and index finger. The patent office ruled in July that the patent might not be valid. Apple appealed but the USPTO once stood by its decision.

Apple claims that Samsung infringed this patent and is seeking US$114 million in damages.

But the latest decision by the USPTO does not mean that the issue has been put completely to rest and could be overturned in a separate patent lawsuit.

Samsung claims that the USPTO's decision has invalidated Apple's damage claim and means the ongoing trial in a U.S. district court in California should stop.

Meanwhile, in a trial recalculating the compensation, a jury on Thursday said Samsung would have to pay Apple $290 million more in damages for violating patents.

During the first trial last year, jurors ruled that Samsung should pay Apple $1.05 billion in compensation, but the California district court slashed to $640 million and ruled that the remaining $450 million must be recalculated in a separate trial because it was unclear how the jury had arrived at its figures. 

Now Samsung owes about $930 million but plans to appeal, so the final decision is expected early next year.

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