Even though Apple has beaten Samsung twice in the U.S. so far, it failed to obtain the significant win it needed to really deliver a big hit to its archenemy. In fact, Apple has also been found to infringe a Samsung patent in the second U.S. lawsuit between the two giants, which is apparently an asset for the Android maker in its reportedly renewed settlement negotiations. Some reports based on recent legal documents from the two companies’ legal teams suggest that a settlement is still unlikely, however.
Meanwhile, Apple has scored another minor victory against Samsung in Europe, where a Dutch court upheld a ban against older Samsung Android handsets.
According to Re/code, the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Ace are still banned in the Netherlands, although the move is likely to still hurt Samsung.
The two devices, and any similar Samsung-made Android smartphones and tablets that have been found to infringe on a European Apple patent, aren’t exactly popular with consumers anymore because they’re rather old. The Galaxy S2 flagship was unveiled at MWC 2011 and launched in several countries thereafter. The more affordable Ace was announced in February of the same year and similarly launched in many markets.
Neither company commented on the ruling or what it means for their ongoing legal fights.
