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Samsung claims 'minuscule' Galaxy Nexus sales numbers didn't harm Apple

Samsung claims 'minuscule' Galaxy Nexus sales numbers didn't harm Apple

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In the other Apple vs. Samsung case, Samsung has argued that sales of the Galaxy Nexus were too small to cause harm to Apple and therefore the device should not be banned.

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Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus

As we await the outcome of the current Apple vs. Samsung trial, there's another Apple vs. Samsung trial that's making its way through the US court system. This second trial is all about the "Universal Search" feature on the Galaxy Nexus, which led Samsung to issue a series of updates to its products to remove the feature. After a temporary injunction that banned the Galaxy Nexus, the case has now moved to an appeals court, which is deciding whether or not the device should be banned during the course of the trial. It involves a fair bit of legal wrangling, as we've all come to expect from the two companies, and the latest hearing has seen some information come out about how well the Galaxy Nexus has been doing in the US. As Bloomberg reports, Samsung claims that sales of the device have been "minuscule."

Samsung attorney John Quinn told the court that in the first two quarters it was in the market, the Galaxy Nexus sold $250 million worth of the device, arguing that "this is a product that, at most, captured 0.5 percent of the market." In this particular instance, of course, it's in Samsung's best interest to minimize the successof the device, because the key issue before the court is whether availability of the Galaxy Nexus causes "irreparable harm" to Apple. Apple, for its part, says that the Galaxy Nexus "was the top of the line, Cadillac phone they trotted out to compete with the iPhone."

The panel of judges hasn't said when it would rule on this particular appeal, but like judge Lucy Koh in the big trial, this court isn't happy with how virulent the filings have become: “I don’t know who drives the mudslinging, the lawyers or the clients," said judge Kimberly Moore, "but it turns off the judges.”