Home

Apple's $1 billion patent victory over Samsung may lead to bigger things

24.05.13

Apple won a sweeping victory in its landmark patent dispute against Samsung when a Silicon Valley jury ruled Friday that a series of popular smartphone and tablet features — from the rounded rectangle shape to the way screens slide and bounce to the touch — are proprietary Apple innovations.

The nine-person jury overwhelmingly sided with Apple's claims that Samsung had infringed on valid patents when it copied those and other design elements while seeking to compete against the popular iPhone and iPad. The jury rejected claims that Apple had infringed on several of Samsung's patents.

Damages totaled $1.05 billion — less than half of the $2.5 billion that Apple requested — but the impact on Samsung's business practices and those of other electronics manufacturers stands to be more profound if the ruling survives a likely appeal.

Together, Apple and Samsung control more than half of the fast-growing smartphone market, and both are major players in tablets. The ruling has no immediate effect on the sale of either company's products, but Apple has requested injunctions against the sales of products found to infringe on its patents.

Source: The Seattle Times