Apple Loses Touch Patent Smackdown to Samsung in Netherlands

Apple doesn’t seem to be having much luck asserting its multitouch patent against rivals abroad.

A Dutch court on Wednesday found that Samsung did not infringe Apple’s so-called “touch event” technology, a feature which associate multitouch flags with one or more views.

“The court judges that Samsung with the trading of its Galaxy products does not infringe on [Apple's patent],” the Court of The Hague explained in its ruling. “Apple, as the unsuccessful party, will be ordered to pay the litigation costs.”

While expected — today’s ruling is an affirmation of an earlier one — it’s still a clear setback for Apple, which has lost similar battles against Samsung in Germany and HTC in the U.K.

The broader war — the smartphone IP Hundred Years War, as we’ve taken to calling it — of course rages on with no end in site. And there Apple has gained significant ground, winning a number of product injunctions and a $1.05 billion jury verdict against Samsung for violation of its design patents.

Errata: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the patent in question as pinch-to-zoom.