Apple won’t be allowed to target Galaxy S4 in Samsung patent lawsuit

A judge with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California this week denied Apple’s request to add Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone to the list of products it claims infringe its patents. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal made the decision as part of a second patent lawsuit between the two companies that concerns newer devices such as the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III. The judge noted, according to Bloomberg, that adding another product is a “tax on the court’s resources.” He explained that Apple and Samsung already “consume considerable amounts of the court’s time and energy, which takes time way from other parties who also require and are entitled to the court’s attention.” An attorney for Apple argued that by excluding the Galaxy S4, the company would be required to “file a new lawsuit” because many of the products in the case will be outdated by the time the trial takes place next year.