Apple Adds Android Jelly Bean to Samsung Patent Lawsuit

Apple has asked a California court to allow it to add Google’s Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 smartphone to an existing patent lawsuit against Samsung. This is a separate lawsuit from the one that went to trial last summer; this case is scheduled for trial in 2014.

Blomberg’s Joel Rosenblatt and Pam MacLean reported, “Apple Inc. told a judge that Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)’s Galaxy Note 10.1 device infringes its patents, and sought to add the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system to an existing lawsuit against Samsung in California. Apple made the arguments yesterday to U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal in federal court in San Jose. Apple’s bid to expand the lawsuit follows Samsung’s Oct. 1 move to add patent- infringement claims against the iPhone 5 in the same case. Apple won a $1.05 billion jury verdict against Samsung on Aug. 24 in a separate patent case in the same court.”

Simon Hill from Digital Trends noted, “The implications of this are serious for Google and it’s the first time that Apple has included the Android platform specifically in its cases against Samsung.”

The Register cited Apple’s court filing, which said, “Shortly after the release of the Galaxy Note 10.1, Apple investigated whether that product infringes the asserted patents. Having now determined that it does infringe – and in a manner remarkably similar to how the already-accused devices infringe – Apple seeks to amend its contentions to include this product.”

CNET’s Roger Cheng added, “The ongoing complaints show that the massively complex legal battle between Apple and Samsung is nowhere near over, despite a seemingly crippling defeat in the form of a $1.05 billion jury verdict handed to Samsung in August.”