A South Korean court has ruled that U.S. technology giant Apple and its South Korean rival Samsung Electronics have infringed each other's patents for mobile devices.
The Seoul court said Friday that Apple infringed on two Samsung wireless patents, while Samsung violated one of Apple's design patents. It awarded small damages to each side and imposed a limited ban on the sale of each company's products in South Korea.
Notably, the court said that Samsung, now the world's largest mobile phone maker, did not copy the design of Apple's popular iPhone.
The case is part of a multibillion dollar global legal battle between the two technology powerhouses, and sets the stage for a major verdict expected to soon be delivered in a U.S. court.
Billions of dollars are at stake in the dispute that will be decided by a jury in California, not far from Apple's headquarters. The two sides wrapped up closing arguments in the case earlier this week.
As in the South Korean case, Apple claims that Samsung copied designs of its popular iPhone and iPad devices and used them to create its own line of Galaxy devices. Apple is demanding $2.5 billion in damages for what it claims are patent infringements.
Samsung contends it has proof that by 2006 - months before Apple introduced its first iPhone in early 2007 - it was developing a next generation of smartphones with a rounded rectangular body that both companies now use.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.