Apple: Ban Samsung from selling! Judge: If you beat me, I'll leave first

[[128651]]

Apple told a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday that rival Samsung Electronics should be banned from selling infringing products to prevent it from suffering damage, but the judge was skeptical.

Judge Kimberly Moore, who is presiding over the case, doubted that Apple would be harmed because it has licensed some of its technology to other companies.

In this lawsuit, Apple hopes the court will ban the sale of Samsung phones that infringe its slide-to-unlock, auto-correction and quick-link patents. Apple lawyers said Samsung's infringement will harm Apple.

But Moore disagreed: "You have already licensed the patents to everyone. In this case, if Samsung uses these patents, what irreparable harm will occur?"

But Apple's lawyers countered that other smartphone manufacturers such as Google and Huawei did not license these technologies.

Samsung's lawyers said the company had all but stopped using the patents, so there was no need for a sales ban.

"Why are you guys fighting?" Moore said. "Why am I wasting my time?"

Some industry observers believe that Apple's move is an effort to curb the rapid growth of the Android camp, of which Samsung is by far the largest company.