A federal judge in California has denied Apple's request to permanently ban Samsung from selling 23 older-model smartphones and tablets smartphones that a jury found infringed on patents held by the maker of iPhones and iPads.
Judge Lucy Koh today said Apple failed to prove that the South Korean company's patent infringement caused irreparable harm to Apple sales.
Apple accused Samsung of ripping off designs for its iPhone and iPad. A jury in 2012 found that close to two dozen of Samsung's products used technology controlled by Apple.
Apple's allegations involved touchscreen features such as tapping and swiping.
Koh said she was not convinced those features drive consumer demand for Samsung products.
The two biggest smartphone makers are scheduled to begin a third patent trial later this month.
