Japanese court backs Samsung in latest Apple skirmish

  A week after Samsung was ordered to pay $1 billion to Apple for patent infringements, a Japanese court has backed the South Korean company in another dispute with its U.S. rival.

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ruled that Samsung did not infringe Apple's patents for its iPhone and iPad for some of its Galaxy smartphones and the Galaxy tablet.

The case focused on technology used in Samsung's Galaxy S, Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Tab 7 devices to synchronize music and video with a computer -- technology Apple says its rival copied.

However Judge Tamotsu Shoji disagreed and threw out Apple's 100 million yen ($1.27 million) claim and ordered the California-based tech giant to pay the costs of the lawsuit. It has 30 days to file an appeal.