Apple Wins Infringement Case, Samsung Ordered to Pay $1Billion

 

The US federal court jury in the patent infringement case between Apple and Samsung came out with a verdict less than 24 hours after the case ended.  The verdict was decidedly in favor of Apple, with the jury declaring that Samsung infringed on Apple’s patents and requiring it to pay Apple in damages amounting to more than $1 Billion or $1,051,855,000.00 in particular.

Samsung was mainly found to have infringed on Apple’s bounceback patent with all products in question.  On the pinch-and-zoom patent, only three of Samsung’s products were ruled be not infringing, with the rest found to be infringing.  To the mind of the jury, Samsung willfully infringed on a total of five of the seven Apple patents involved in the case.  Moreover, it upheld the validity of Apple’s patents when it came to utility, design and trade dress.  The huge award in damages comes from the jury’s conclusion that Samsung copied Apple’s patents willfully.  The $1 Billion award is just half of the $2.5 Billion asked by Apple but still, it’s a staggering amount.

As to Samsung’s counterclaims, the jury found that Apple did not infringe on Samsung’s patents, although it ruled that these patents are valid. The only major win for Samsung in the case is that the jury did not think the Galaxy Tab copied the iPad.

Both Apple and Samsung have issued their respective statements on the verdict.  Here they are.

Apple:

We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values. At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy. We applaud the court for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.

Samsung:

Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer

What do you think about this verdict?