Judge Denies Apple's Request To Seal Financial Documents

If you didn't know, Apple and Samsung are still going at it, and today Judge Lucy Koh of the US District Court denied Apple's request to have several financial documents sealed from public view. Said documents include "product-specific unit sales, revenue, profit, profit margin, and cost data." Apple wants to use these documents in its argument in order to obtain a higher award from the court.

These financial documents could help Apple win an extra $535 million in damages from Samsung, on top of the $1.05 billion that's already owed. Samsung, of course, appealed the court decision and wants a new trial, citing that the jury was dishonest about their lawsuit history and that personal viewpoints got in the way of making an informed decision.

Judge Koh noted that Apple is not allowed to use these financial documents as evidence to seek damage costs while keeping the documents secret at the same time. Apple must decide between either publicizing the documents and continue their quest for more damages, or keep the documents sealed and end the fight.

Judge Koh also mentioned that the extra damages and the sales bans that Apple is seeking upon Samsung "would have a profound effect on the smartphone industry, consumers, and the public." Koh also noted that Apple hasn't provided any compelling reason for wanting to keep the financial documents sealed other than just mentioning that the information in the documents are trade secrets.

[via Ars Technica]