Apple, Samsung Galaxy SIII Injunction Debate Starts Tuesday

Samsung has agreed to a Tuesday, June 12, deadline to provide Judge Lucy Koh with reasons why its new Galaxy SIII smartphone shouldn’t be included in Apple’s motion for an injunction blocking some of the company’s from being sold in the United States. Apple is hoping to include the unreleased smartphone in its injunction motion in an effort to keep the device from making it to store shelves in the country.

Apple wants to block the U.S. launch of Samsung's Galaxy SIII smartphoneApple wants to block the U.S. launch of Samsung’s Galaxy SIII smartphone

As part of Tuesday’s deadline, Samsung will need to show Judge Koh how the Galaxy SIII smartphone features are significantly different from its Nexus line, which is included in Apple’s list of products that infringe on its patents. Should Samsung fail to convince Judge Koh, she will most likely add the Galaxy SIII to infringement case, according to Foss Patents.

Samsung also agreed to provide the court with source code related to the patent infringement allegations. The company said, however, that it may have trouble meeting that deadline. Within three days of Samsung’s Thursday deadline, both companies will meet to discuss what additional discovery needs to take place.

Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing, and have filed lawsuits against each other in the U.S. and other countries.

Apple decided to try to convince the court to issue an injunction blocking the import and sale of the Galaxy SIII smartphone before it’s late June launch date. The Cupertino-based company’s legal team said it was aggressively working to block the new smartphone because Samsung’s strategy is to flood the market with patent infringing phones faster than the courts can respond.

Samsung attorney Bill PRice, however, disagreed and said Apple is trying to “prevent a phone from getting to the public that is better than Apple’s in many, many respects.”