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The patent wars continues. A court in Netherlands handed down an injunction after Apple filed a claim for patent infringement. Although several patent infringements were appealed for and rejected, the court however upheld only one claim of a specific patent EP 2059686 which outlines a user interface for viewing and navigating photographs on a touch screen phone. This embargo comes in effect within seven weeks.
The court order does not actually bind Samsung's Korean parent company, but it binds three subsidiaries registered in Netherlands. These three different subsidiaries are prohibited to sell Galaxy phones in Netherlands, UK, France, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Sweden and Switzerland. Samsung however uses port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to distribute it most of its products though out the European Union.
Apparently the good news for Samsung is the injunction is on the software and not the hardware. The injunction covers only the current devices and not future devices where the user interface is altered or changed or design in a way that don't infringe this particular patent. Plus the injunction is only on Galaxy phones, so the sales of Galaxy Tab is not affected.
According to BBC, Samsung is determined modify its software regarding that specific patent so that the products stay clear of the infringement and are been made available to consumers. To quote the company statement:
"With regard to the single infringement cited in the ruling, we will take all possible measures including legal action to ensure that there is no disruption in the availability of our Galaxy smartphones to Dutch consumers."
Basically all Samsung needs to do is provide a quick fix to its Gallery app. It has to change its "swipe to scroll" and the photo flicking/bouncing’ behavior in known models like Galaxy S, Galaxy S2 and Ace. This will clear these devices from the infringement and will save Samsung the cost and task of re-routing the entire distribution system.
source: bbc, foss patents
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