Apple Wins $539 Million from Samsung in the Latest Twist of Ongoing Smartphone Patent Trial

In the seven years old smartphone patent trial between technology leaders Apple and Samsung, the jurors awarded a final verdict of $539 million in favor of the iPhone maker, a strong affirmation that Apple is indeed numero uno in the smartphone world. The verdict was declared in favor of Apple in the latest twist in federal court in San Jose, California, a few hours back. The jurors concluded Samsung infringed on Apple design and utility patents covering aspects of mobile design like rounded corners, the rim of the front face of the iPhone, and the now-iconic app grid layout of the iOS home screen.

This is a second blow to the South Korea based technology leader. Earlier this year, Samsung lost to Huawei in a lawsuit on the wireless patent. In case you missed my previous post pertaining to this trial, you may read it here.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple mentioned in a statement that they deeply believe in the value of design, and their teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight their customers, a legacy that was built by Steve Jobs and carried forward since then. As per Apple spokesperson, this case has always been about more than money. Effectively, the jury was deciding whether Samsung owes Apple money based on sales of their smartphones or the components that infringed on Apple’s patents, as Bloomberg points out.

The patent trial started in 2011. Since then, the innumerable appeals and verdicts have made it one of the most complicated corporate patent infringement trials in the history of the technology industry. Apple initially demanded Samsung to pay $2.5 billion when the lawsuit was initiated, but that figure was diminished to less than $1 billion in the initial 2012 verdict that went in favor of Apple. An appeals court ruled Apple could not legally trademark the iPhone’s appearance in May of 2015, which implied Samsung was compelled to pay only around $548 million. Samsung paid that amount in December 2015, after both companies agreed in 2014 to drop litigation outside of the US.

From then on, a series of appeals have kept the patent case moving through federal court in California, resulting in a sequence of retrial attempts from Samsung that ultimately were aimed at trying to further minimize Apple’s monetary awards. One of two final cases between the technology stalwarts concluded in the November of 2017, pertaining to the iOS slide-to-unlock patent which resulted in an award of $120 million to Apple.

Apple, known for the uniqueness of aesthetic designs of its products, secures a stronger position for itself in the ever growing, innovative, technologically expanding smartphone market with this win. With the verdict on this final case that was much awaited, we should expect the legal proceedings between the two leading tech companies to approach a subtle closure.