As a result of a seven-year-long legal battle, Samsung has been ordered to pay $539 million dollars as a result of patent infringement. They were found liable all the way back in 2012, but disagreements over the amount to be paid caused massive delays. Samsung had already paid $399 million to Apple for infringement of patents.
The devices accused of copying Apple’s design philosophies are Samsung’s mobile phones and tablets released in 2010 and 2011, with the company accused of “slavishly” copying their products. If the verdict is upheld following the appeal, then they will have to pay an additional $140 million on top of the already paid amount.
“We believe deeply in the value of design,” Apple said in a statement. “This case has always been about more than money.”
Samsung’s statement does not say whether they plan to appeal the verdict, but it’s generally assumed that they will.
“Today’s decision flies in the face of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages,” Samsung said in their statement. “We will consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.”
The verdict comes after Apple said it was seeking $1 billion in damages. The jury ruled that $533.3 million be paid for violation of design patents, while an additional $5.3 million be paid on utility patent violations. Samsung tried to argue they should only have to pay $28 million, which meant that the patent infringement would be limited only to the infringing components of the devices. This is instead of awarding Apple the full profits from device sales, which is what Apple was attempting to seek.
This isn’t the first time that Samsung has had to pay money to Apple for patent infringement, paying $548 million to them back in 2015. $399 million of that value was for patents included in the ruling made yesterday.
Via: Reuters