Korean court delays iPhone and iPad ban awaiting appeal

Apple Thursday won a temporary reprieve from a South Korean court, keeping the Cupertino, Calif. company’s iPhone and iPad on store shelves in that country. A Seoul judge whose court in August ruled products by both Apple and Samsung should be yanked from stores, approved Apple’s request for a stay while the U.S. firm appeals.

According to Bloomberg, Samsung has yet to file for a similar injunction. The original ruling by the Seoul Central District Court also banned sales of the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 10.1. The court ruled both Apple and Samsung guilty of violating each others’ patents…

The court fight between the two has grown complex with each firm seeking to ban its competitor in a cat-and-mouse game of legal maneuvering. One court’s banishment is topped by another’s grant of appeal, or win. In September, Samsung announced it would include Apple’s latest iPhone 5 smartphone in the legal wrangling.

The South Korean smartphone and tablet maker suffered a serious setback a few months ago, when a San Jose, Calif. federal court ruled that Samsung violated Apple’s patents, awarding the iPhone maker $1 billion in damages. The decision could have further repercussions for Samsung when the two combatants return for a hearing before the end of this year.

How long will this court battle continue? Both sides have vast stores of cash to file legal objection after legal objection. Samsung has been damaged somewhat as Apple and others turn to other parts suppliers. What do you think? Will the Apple-Samsung patent wrangle continue into 2013?