Skip to main content

Oh no! A handful of old Samsung Galaxy smartphones have been banned, thanks to Apple

samsung phones banned in us galaxy s3 s4 palm swipe take a screenshot
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It’s hollow victory time at Apple. After just four years and dozens of courtroom cases, it has managed to get the Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Nexus, and a handful of other Samsung phones banned from the United States. That’s right, you can’t buy a phone that has been discontinued for ages, which you probably couldn’t find on sale even if you, bizarrely, actually wanted one.

The ban is the latest event in the courtroom battle between Apple and Samsung, where U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh granted a permanent injunction against the devices, most of which have no presence in the U.S. anymore. It follows a change in the ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in September, saying that monetary damages were not enough and the devices should be banned.

In May 2014, Apple won $119 million in a jury verdict against Samsung for the use of three patents: quick links, slide-to-unlock, and word correction. It then asked for the ban of the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3, and Stratosphere, but Koh denied the request.

While it might seem like a petty squabble, a growing number of tech companies, including Facebook, Google, eBay, and HP, are siding with Samsung in a fight for the Supreme Court to better define design patents and lower the monetary damage values. If there is a change in the design patent law, it might stop the fights between two of the largest tech companies.

Weirdly, while they fight in courts across the U.S., Samsung delivers millions of processors for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, and is supposedly in talks to build the iPhone’s first OLED display. Samsung even has an entire team dedicated to Apple’s display requests. 

The court cases are not going to end here, with Samsung set for another battle in the courtroom later this year. It recently paid Apple $548 million in the patent dispute, and the next case will focus on the packaging of Samsung products in 2012 and 2013.

Editors' Recommendations

David Curry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
Have a Samsung Galaxy S23? Don’t update your phone to One UI 6.1
The pink Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus lying on a pillow.

Samsung started rolling out its One UI 6.1 update last week, bringing its Galaxy AI features to the Galaxy S23 series and other Galaxy phones and tablets. Unfortunately, it looks like the update is doing more harm than good.

Over the last couple of days, there have been seemingly endless reports of One UI 6.1 wreaking havoc for Galaxy S23 owners — including everything from unresponsive touchscreens, fingerprint sensors not working, and more.

Read more
A new version of the Samsung Galaxy S24 could be coming soon
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Mint Green color along with a coaster and leaf in the front.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

Samsung could soon be adding a new phone to the flagship Galaxy S24 lineup. Following the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra from earlier this year, it looks like Samsung is getting ready to launch the Galaxy S24 FE.

Read more
Galaxy AI is now available for these other Samsung phones
A white Samsung Galaxy S23 next to a pink Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.

In January, Samsung introduced its Galaxy AI features alongside its Galaxy S24 series of smartphones. Since then, if you've wanted to use Galaxy AI, you've needed a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, or Galaxy S24 Ultra. That's about to change.

Samsung just announced that it's about to bring those Galaxy AI features to a lot more devices, meaning you'll soon be able to use Galaxy AI even if you don't have a Galaxy S24.

Read more