The legal battle between Apple and Samsung is showing no signs of slowing down, as a federal judge ruled that both companies can add new products to their existing lawsuit.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal ruled in favor of adding new products to the patent dispute, noting that otherwise the products would simply spin off into a new line of lawsuits.
The decision allowed Samsung to add the iPhone 5 to its patent infringement claims while Apple adds the Galaxy Note and the U.S. version of the Galaxy S3.
The Google-owned Jelly Bean operating system is now also part of Apple's patent claim, though in reference to the Galaxy Nexus, not the Android OS as a whole.
The show must go on
In August, the South Korean company was found guilty of infringing on multiple Apple patents in a verdict that costs Samsung $1.049 billion (UK£664 million, AU$1.014).
Meanwhile, a second case had been filed earlier this year regarding a separate set of patents. A judge issued a preliminary ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the case earlier this year, which was later overturned by the same judge in October.
When the iPhone 5 launched, Samsung moved to have it added to the lawsuit under the same alleged patent infringements as other iPhone models.
Though Apple did not oppose the motion, Grewal added to the ruling that "Apple should think twice before opposing similar amendments reflecting other newly released products, e.g. the iPad 4 and the iPad mini, that Samsung may propose in the future."
Samsung has not indicated that it will add either the iPad 4 or iPad mini to the case, but that could easily change as the seemingly eternal patent dispute trudges on.
Via SlashGear
