Appeals court overturns Galaxy Nexus injunction

A U.S. appeals court has overturned the injunction banning sales of the Galaxy Nexus, according to reports. Apple won a preliminary injunction blocking sales of Samsung's Nexus in June, after a California district court ruled that the device infringed upon an Apple-owned search patent. Samsung was later granted a stay against the injunction, allowing sales of the device to continue.

Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which granted the stay, ruled that the California court "abused its discretion in entering an injunction," according to reports from Reuters. The ruling is significant not only because it allows sales of the Gnex to continue in the long term, but also because it represents a setback for Apple in its on-going patent struggle against Samsung (and by association, Google).

With rumors of a new LG-built Nexus hotting up, and the Galaxy Nexus reaching the end of its shelf life, it's unlikely to make a massive difference to either company's bottom line. Nevertheless, it's an important victory for Android.

Source: Reuters

More: The Galaxy Nexus Ban: This, too, shall pass

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Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.