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A jury in San Francisco has decided that Samsung should pay Apple US$290 million in damages for its patent infringement, bringing the total award from Korea to Cupertino to around US$930 million.
(Credit: CBSi)
Despite Samsung claiming it should only have to pay around US$52 million, saying that Apple doesn’t own a patent on “beautiful and sexy”, the jury ruled that its infringements on Apple’s five key touchscreen, interface and design patents were worth US$290 million in damages.
This figure is substantially less than the US$380 million Apple claimed it was owed but far higher than Samsung’s proposed compromise. A spokesperson for Samsung said that the company was “disappointed” and would continue to appeal the decision. A last-minute motion to stay the trial, on the basis of the key “pinch to zoom” patent being declared invalid, was discarded, and the result was delivered two hours later.
Apple’s initial US$380 million figure was comprised of US$114 million of its own lost profits, Samsung’s US$231 million profits and US$35 million in royalties it would reasonably have been expected to pay for licensing patents. The current result would see the iPhone maker effectively paid for Samsung’s profits and royalties but not for Apple’s potential device sales. This patent infringement payout joins the over US$600 million already awarded to Apple in the initial trial, which started in April 2011.
The jury forewoman told the assembled press outside the courtroom that the Korean company didn’t make a solid enough case to argue successfully for reduced damages: “I wish Samsung could have come up with more evidence to support its case.” Samsung, however, is staying positive: “While we move forward with our post-trial motions and appeals, we will continue to innovate with groundbreaking technologies and great products that are loved by our many customers all around the world.”
