The federal judge overseeing the Samsung-Apple patent case has denied an emergency motion made by Samsung that would have delayed the proceedings.
Samsung wanted the trial put on hold because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is exploring the validity of Apple’s pinch-to-zoom patent. “This decision by the [patent office] jeopardizes the jury’s findings in the damages trial and may render all of the post-trial proceedings a waste of time and resources,” argued Samsung. District Judge Lucy Koh disagreed and fired back, “If Samsung is truly concerned about efficiency, the court encourages Samsung to discuss with Apple an agreement to forgo post-trial motions so that the parties can expeditiously appeal this entire case to the Federal Circuit.”
The emergency motion was made last week before a jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple an additional $290 million in damages for violating its smartphone patents. Apple and Samsung have been battling one another in courtrooms around the globe for more than two years.
