Japanese Court Says Samsung Infringed Apple’s “Rubber-Banding” Patent
Apple has prevailed in another round of its endless patent infringement bout with Samsung, this time in Japan.
The Tokyo District Court ruled Friday that a handful of Samsung smartphones violate Apple’s “rubber-banding” patent. That patent describes, among other things, the over-scroll bounce iOS performs when it reaches the bottom of a scrollable element, and it’s proving a powerful weapon in Apple’s intellectual property arsenal. The company successfully asserted it against Samsung in its $1.05 billion U.S. lawsuit against the company last summer.
Now it has successfully wielded it against Samsung again, though to just what effect isn’t yet clear. The Tokyo District Court judge who found in Apple’s favor hasn’t yet ruled on damages. I’ll update here when he does.