US judge rejects Apple request to ban sale of Samsung phones

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A federal judge on Monday denied a legal request by Apple Inc. to ban US sales of Samsung smartphone models that a jury in August said illegally used Apple technology.

The decision is part of a series of rulings that US Judge Lucy Koh says she is releasing over several weeks to address the many legal issues raised in the case.

Koh’s ruling Monday night comes after Apple this summer was awarded $1.05 billion in damages. A jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad.

Apple had urged the judge to permanently ban the US sales of eight Samsung smartphone models, while also seeking to add millions more to the award. A jury in August said Samsung illegally used Apple technology, while also seeking to add millions more to the award.

“The phones at issue in this case contain a broad range of features, only a small fraction of which are covered by Apple’s patents,” Koh wrote in her ruling. “Though Apple does have some interest in retaining certain features as exclusive to Apple, it does not follow that entire products must be forever banned from the market because they incorporate, among their myriad features, a few narrow protected functions,” she wrote.

Earlier this month, Koh appeared ready to trim the $1 billion jury verdict Apple won over Samsung Electronics, but gave no indication as to how much.

Adding to the legal tangle, Apple filed a second lawsuit earlier this year, alleging that Samsung’s newer products are unfairly using Apple’s technology. That’s set for trial in 2014. In addition, the two companies are locked in legal battles in several other countries.