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Samsung management told the company’s employees that it will eventually be vindicated in its fight with Apple.
The company claims in the memo, which was sent to all employees, that it wanted “to negotiate with Apple” rather than head to court, but the iPhone maker balked. Now that it’s facing a more than $1 billion payout, Samsung told employees that it’s a company that centers on appealing to consumers — not patent law.
“History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth, when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation,” Samsung wrote to employees.
Samsung lost a landmark lawsuit against Apple on Friday. A jury found that Samsung violated a host of Apple patents and engaged in “willful infringement.” The jury also found that Apple had not violated any Samsung utility patents. Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages, less than half the $2.75 billion it was seeking in the case.
However, it was a clear victory for Apple, and a blow to Samsung, which is trying to keep pace with the iPhone maker in the mobile market.
Despite the obvious setback, the company is resolute in its belief that eventually, it’ll be vindicated perhaps not by the courts, but by the consumers themselves.
“We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritize innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt,” the company said in the memo.
As for Apple? The company hasn’t published any internal memos, but has publicly said that in reality, it’s the company that delivers on innovation.
“The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
