Local court ruling for Samsung, Apple delayed

A Korean court ruling over patent infringement claims between the world's top smartphone makers Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. has been delayed due to legal procedures, a court official said Thursday.

The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court originally scheduled for Aug. 10 was rescheduled for Aug. 24 due to a prolonged final review, according to an official at the district court.

The local court ruling is part of a multi-billion dollar patent war between the two rivals who are racing to dominate the US$219 billion global smartphone market.

In April 2011, Apple first filed a lawsuit with a U.S. district court, accusing Samsung of copying patents used in its flagship iPad and iPhone products.

Samsung flatly denied the claim and fired back by lodging technology-related patent infringement suits against the iPhone maker with courts in Germany, Japan and South Korea in the same month.

Following the move, Apple filed a countersuit with the Korean court in June, pointing an angry finger at Samsung's alleged violation of its design and user interface patents.

The delay in the local ruling comes as a disappointment to market watchers who had been anticipating a decision ahead of the U.S. district court's final hearing in late August.

While the stakes in the local ruling were considered much smaller than the $2.5 billion Apple is seeking in the U.S. trial, market watchers had forecast the winner to gain an upper hand in the two rivals' patent war.(Yonhap)