Jury Orders Samsung to Pay Apple $539 Million for Patent Infringement

In an ongoing legal battle which started in 2011, a jury today in San Jose, California, decided (after five days of deliberation) Samsung must pay Apple $539 million USD for infringing on five patents, related to Android smartphones sold in 2010-2011.

CNET Senior Writer, Stephen Shankland, was on hand and reported the following:

The unanimous decision, in the US District Court in San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley, is just about halfway between what the two largest mobile phone makers had sought in a high-profile case that reaches all the way back to 2011.

The bulk of the damages payment, $533,316,606, was for infringing three Apple design patents. The remaining $5,325,050 million was for infringing two utility patents. Samsung already had been found to infringe the patents, but this trial determined some of the damages.

The figure is a step back for for Samsung, which had fought earlier damages findings. This trial had reconsidered $399 million of Samsung’s earlier payments, so $539 million is a significantly larger sum.

Apple originally sought $1.07 billion from Samsung for the latter infringing on three design patents, but Samsung argued $28 million was appropriate instead. In relation to two utility patents, Apple argued for $5.3 million from Samsung, which the latter didn’t oppose.

In a statement, an Apple spokesperson commented on the decision, saying:

We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.

We’re grateful to the jury for their service and pleased they agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products

The recent court battle saw Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, and Susan Kare, designer of the original Macintosh icons, testify at the trial, marking two high-profile names to help argue the iPhone maker’s case to the jury.

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