Japanese court rejects Apple's claim that Samsung stole its technology

A Japanese court Thursday rejected a claim by Samsung that Apple stole its technology, in the latest round of a global legal battle between the smartphone giants over patents.

The Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung has no rights over data transmission technology used in some of Apple's iPhone smartphones, said a spokesman for Samsung's Tokyo office.

The South Korean electronics giant had sought an injunction that would prevent the manufacture and sale of some of Apple's smartphones in a dispute over patent rights, the spokesman said.

In response to Samsung's claim made in 2011, Apple filed a lawsuit seeking a court ruling that Samsung does not hold patent rights and thus has no claim to damages over the issue, he said.

A statement issued by Samsung's Tokyo office said the company was "disappointed that our argument was not accepted by the court".

"After studying details of the court ruling we will take necessary measures to protect our property rights," it added.

Similar lawsuits over the same technology were heard in the United States and South Korea, with a US court finding for Apple in August last year while a South Korean court sided with Samsung, the spokesman added.

A spokesman for Apple Japan declined to comment on the case.

The verdict is the latest chapter in a long-running global patent war between the smartphone giants, who have each accused the other of stealing intellectual property for their own products.

In a separate case, the Tokyo District Court in August rejected Apple's claim that Samsung stole its technology over synchronising a smartphone's music data with that on a computer.

The two companies are waging the patent fight in about 10 countries, and in Japan there are about a dozen cases pending, the Samsung spokesman said.