A jury has ruled that Samsung violated a number of Apple patents related to its design and software, and must pay $1.05 billion in damages. The amount is less than the $2.5 billion Apple requested, but still a major victory for Cupertino. Samsung also accused Apple of infringing on its patents and demanded $14.40 per iPhone and iPad sold. However that was overturned. Detailed analysis of the verdict after the break.
It must be considered that on Samsung’s side there are several devices at play namely the Captivate, Continuum, Droid Charge, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Prevail, Galaxy S, Exhibit, Infuse 4G, Mesmerize, Nexus S 4G, Gem, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Replenish, Vibrant, plus every carrier’s version of the Galaxy S II.
Here’s the gist of the verdict:
Software Patents
- 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.
Design Patents
- All Samsung smartphones infringed on Patent ‘087 (back of the iPhone), with the exception of the Galaxy S 4G and Vibrant.
- Except the Ace, all Samsung handsets were found to infringe on Patent ‘677 (front of the iPhone).
- All Samsung devices were found to infringe on Patent ‘305 (iOS app icon design). The jury said that Samsung should have known better and was found guilty of willful infringement on this patent.
- Samsung and its Galaxy Tab devices were determined to not have infringed on Apple’s Patent ‘889 (iPad design – specifically, “clean front, edge-to-edge glass, thin bezel, thin outer border, and rounded corners”), although monetary rewards were yielded to Apple. This point is still under review.
Here are the statements from both companies.
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.
It would be unwise to consider this the end. Both companies were prepared with appeals if the decision did not go their way. In the coming days we’ll see post-trial motions and argument over how much time Samsung will get to prepare.
