I’m not very sure how many people actually followed the Apple vs. Samsung case; but seeing as it could – or not – affect the way Apple or Samsung phones will – or won’t – look, here’s a quick recap.
Apple and Samsung sued one another for patent violation. Apple was seeking $2.2 billion for breach of five patent rights: Quicklinks, Slide-To-Unlock, Autocorrect, Background Synchronisation and Universal Search; while Samsung refuted infringement claims saying the patents are invalid and maintains that any damages should not be more than $38 million, if it did violate any rights. Samsung also sought less than $7 million on its counterclaim that Apple infringed on three of its patents.
On Friday last week, the jury found the accused Samsung products guilty of infringement on the “quick links” patent and ruled that some, not all, of the Samsung products infringed on Apple’s “slide-to-unlock” patent. The third patent, automatic word correction, was ruled by the court to have been infringed and the jury was then tasked with deciding damages and the validity of that patent. The amount that the jury awarded in damages however is notably less than 5% of what Apple was originally seeking: $119.6 million in damages.
The last two patents in dispute – background synchronization and universal search – whose defense were discovered to have been backed by and indemnified by Google were ruled clean by the jury. The ruling was that Samsung’s products didn’t infringe any rights on those two patents – Google Wins!
Meanwhile, the jury also ruled that Apple infringed- not willfully though- on one Samsung patent, and granted the Korean company about $158,000 in damages clearing Apple of the infringement claim on the two other Samsung patents.
The verdict was reached after three full days of discussions. But for all its legal victories, Apple has been unable to slow Samsung’s growth down because it has been unable to secure any lasting injunctions. Samsung has continued to grow its share of the smartphone market, both in the U.S. and globally.
Photocredit: AppAdvice
