Judge denies Apple request to ban Samsung phones

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge has denied a legal request by Apple Inc. to ban U.S. sales of Samsung smartphone models that a jury in August said illegally used Apple technology.

In a ruling issued Monday night, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh turned down the request.

Koh's ruling comes after Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages after a jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad.

Earlier this year, Apple lawyer Harold McElhinny had claimed that Samsung "willfully" made a business decision to copy Apple's iPad and iPhone, and he called the jury's $1.05 billion award a "slap in the wrist."

In turn, Samsung lawyer Charles Verhoeven had argued that Apple was trying to tie up Samsung in courts around the world rather than competing head-on.