Apple Blocked in Attempt to Add Samsung's Galaxy S4 to Patent Lawsuit

Apple has been blocked in an attempt to add Samsung's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 to an ongoing patent dispute it has in the USA.

If it had been able to add the smartphone to the case, and if the case was won by Apple, it would mark an unusual situation where an import ban in a patent dispute applied to a current device, rather than one that was already discontinued.

Adding another product to the case is a "tax on the court's resources," U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal wrote in the ruling. "Each time these parties appear in the courtroom, they consume considerable amounts of the court's time and energy, which takes time way from other parties who also require and are entitled to the court's attention."

Apple had tried to argue that it would have to otherwise file a separate case against Samung, and by the time that was heard, in all likelihood, the Galaxy S4 handset would have been superceded by a replacement model.