It turns out we’re not the only ones who are ready to see this patent battle royale come to an end. Last night, Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung a retrial in the case that will not die, but took the opportunity to shame Apple’s lawyers for bringing the Korean company’s foreignness into the equation. The court-appointed shaming comes as a result of closing arguments made during a partial retrial that saw a portion of Apple’s original award bumped from $450 million down to $290 million in damages.
The federal judge overseeing the Apple versus Samsung patent case denied the Korean electronics giant a new trial, but criticized Apple’s lawyers for making an appeal to national pride during their closing argument. In the closing argument, made during a partial retrial of the case, Apple’s lawyers noted that while several domestic brands once made televisions, they failed to protect their intellectual property, and now no TVs are made here. Samsung asked for a mistrial at the time, but Judge Lucy Koh denied the request, instead calling back the jury and reminding them only that they were not to allow anything other than the evidence to sway their decision. After the case, Samsung again asked for a new trial, which Judge Koh denied on Friday, though she did call Apple’s closing argument “troubling.”