On Thursday, a U.S. jury decided that Samsung Electronics will pay $539 million to Apple, Inc. This decision comes after almost five years of dispute. The reason for this is copying already patented smartphone features, according to the documents of the court. This long-lasting feud is now in its final stages.
Years-Long Feud
These two companies are world’s top rivals in the smartphone industry. They have been fighting over patents for years. In 2011, Apple filed a lawsuit accusing Samsung’s tablets and smartphones of being unoriginally copied. Samsung was found guilty in 2012, but since they had a disagreement over the amount Samsung had to pay.
Previously, Samsung paid Apple $399 million. This payment was to repay Apple for infringement for particular patents. The jury had been carefully considering the case since last week.
More than Money
With the verdict in Apple’s favor, Samsung will have to pay an additional $140 million. Apple announced that they are pleased that the jury members agreed that Samsung should lose this case because they copied their products. They added that they believe in their design value and that this case was always about more than just money.
Samsung’s Answer
Samsung stated that the decision flies in the face of the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Samsung. They added that they are going to consider all possibilities to obtain an outcome that will not worsen fair competition and creativity for all companies and consumers.
Verdict
The new trial was held in San Jose, California. Lucy Koh was the Judge. She focused on the amount of money Samsung should pay to Apple for copying their products. The jury decided that Samsung should pay $533.3 million to apple for violating design patents. They add a bonus of $5.3 million for violation of utility patents.
Questions from the American People:
- Apple claims Samsung copied their product. How different can smart devices be from one another?
- America values and protects ingenuity. But don’t we also believe in building on what others have accomplished?
- How will the ruling affect Samsung prices to the consumer? Will it affect production?
