US District Court Judge Lucy Koh denied Apple’s motion to add the Galaxy S III to the infringing products list in its ongoing battle with cellphone manufacturer Samsung. Koh said that Apple’s request to get a temporary restraining order preventing the launch of the highly anticipated smartphone before the expected release date would overload her calendar. The full trial is on the docket for later this summer.
The judge had originally said that Apple could request a temporary restraining order versus the S III, but it would delay the overall trial against all devices. In the ruling on Monday, the judge said that Apple would have to request a new hearing date if it wanted to stop sales of the Galaxy S III, which would be unlikely before the launch.
Koh’s ruling didn’t say anything about the validity of Apple’s claims, regarding either the intended original targets or the Galaxy S III. Apple reinforced the previous statement that blatant copies of its devices was wrong. While Samsung refused to comment, Google unexpectedly chimed in on the matter — saying that Android’s success made it an attractive target for patent litigation.
