U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh has ruled that neither an Apple utility patent nor four design patents are invalid due to indefiniteness, reports “AppleInsider” (www.appleinsider.com).
The issue of indefiniteness was first entered during the Apple v. Samsung trial over Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 7,864,163, otherwise known as the “tap to zoom” patent, when Samsung took issue with the term “substantially centered.”
In the patent language, Apple refers to graphical assets being “substantially centered” on a portable device’s display. Samsung argued that the term was indefinite and thus the patent should be invalidated, notes “AppleInsider.” Koh disagreed and denied the invalidation by citing a number of federal court cases that set precedent pertaining to the term “substantially.”
This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.
