The standard for granting an injunction in a patent infringement case may have changed last month in Apple v. Samsung Electronics, No. 2014-1802 (Fed. Cir. September 17, 2015) (Apple IV). In this important decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit carefully evaluated the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case eBay v. MercExchange LLC, 547 U.S. 388 (2006), and made it easier for plaintiffs to obtain an injunction for patent infringement.
Last month’s Federal Circuit decision is one in a long line of cases commonly known as the “smartphone war” in which the two smartphone industry leaders, Apple and Samsung, have been battling over several of Apple’s patents. Other decisions in this lengthy conflict have awarded Apple substantial damages for infringement by Samsung’s smartphone products. Last month’s Federal Circuit decision, however, addressed the issue of injunction, and widened the door for future patent holders to obtain injunctive relief.
