SEOUL — South Korea's Samsung on Thursday lost its latest claim in a long-running global copyright battle against bitter rival Apple, a surprise blow to the electronics giant in its home market. A court rejected Samsung's claims that some Apple products had infringed on three of its patents covering messaging technology for mobile devices. It's the first time a South Korean court has ruled against Samsung in its battle with Apple. Samsung described Thursday's ruling as "preliminary" and indicated it would continue its battle at home. "We are disappointed by the court's decision. As Apple has continued to infringe our patented mobile technologies, we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights," Samsung said in a statement. The ruling dealt a blow to Samsung's efforts to build its case over patents covering the designs and functions of smartphones. Samsung had launched the lawsuit in a bid to stop the sale of some of Apple's iPhone and iPad models in South Korea. But the court rejected all of Samsung's claims against Apple, including a request to pay $95,092 in damages.The court noted that two of three patents in dispute are invalid because they can be easily developed using existing technologies. The two tech giants have been locked in a prolonged patent war in more than 10 countries, with each accusing the other of infringing on various patents. — Reuters
