Apple gets greenlight for Siri patent lawsuit against Samsung

Today, Judge Lucy Koh, a familiar name to those who have been keeping up on the Apple/Samsung patent war, has just ruled that she will not suspend Apple's lawsuit against Samsung that involves its Siri digital assistant. This lawsuit, which differs from the one that went to trial in 2012, concerns patents that Apple uses for Siri.

Originally, Judge Koh considered suspending the case following the ruling on the first lawsuit. Apple didn't like this idea, however, and argued against it, persuading the judge to let the lawsuit proceed. The case in question concerns search technology patents that are different than the one that went to trial in California.

The go-ahead wasn't without stipulations, however. Judge Koh told both companies that they must "significantly" speed up the process by streamlining the issues at hand and reducing both the number of expert witnesses and legal claims involved in the legal proceedings. This pertains to case "Apple Inc. vs. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 12-630".

The patent war has been a long and varied one, with ups and downs and victories and losses on both sides of the legal battlefield. Last fall, Apple scored a $1.05 billion victory over Samsung, but the celebration was short-lived, with Judge Koh reducing that number by approximately $405 million and initiating a new trial over the damages, something Apple has already appealed.

[via Reuters]