Samsung Loses $1.049 billion to Apple for Infringement
The final verdict has been reached between the long fight of Apple vs Samsung. Just yesterday, a verdict was reached that Samsung is guilty of stealing Apple’s idea of a smartphone and was forced to hand them exactly $1,049,343,540.
TechCrunch says:
- The jury found no infringement by Apple on any of Samsung’s utility patents.
- The jury found that Samsung infringed on patents for ’381 “bounce back” scrolling functionality on all devices.
- On the ’915 patent, relating to one finger to scroll, two to pinch and zoom navigation, all but three Samsung devices (Ace, Intercept and Replenish) infringed.
- For Apple’s ’163 patent (tap to zoom) all Samsung devices except Captivate, Indulge, Intercept, Nexus S 4G, Transform and Vibrant infringed.
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.
After years of Apple claiming Samsung broke their patent laws, Samsung tried to counter-sue claiming it was Apple who was doing all the stealing. Apple isn’t finished yet as they are already planning lawsuits against HTC and more.
