Court cases in Australia and the USA involving Samsung and Apple have seen a South Korean court overnight postpone a verdict.It appears South Korean judges are looking to avoid a situation where a decision in Korea could result in their decisions “being woven” into the Samsung Vs Apple case in Australia.
Last night the clerk at Seoul Central District Court said the verdict in the two lawsuits had been scheduled for Friday morning will be delayed until Aug. 24. The clerk cited “procedural reasons.”
This raised eyebrows and sparked gossip in legal and tech circles around Seoul reported the Wall Street Journal Seoul Bureau.
The WSJ said that South Korea was one of the countries in which Samsung initially countersued after Apple in April 2011 filed suit in California accusing it of copying design elements and patents for smartphones.
In South Korea, teams of lawyers argue cases in front of a panel of three judges rather than a jury. Documents and court transcripts are generally sealed, though the actual court hearings are open.
In the Samsung-Apple case, the same three judges have handled both lawsuits. They conducted 10 hearings in one case and 13 in the other. They plan to rule on both cases at the same time.
