Samsung’s chances of overturning the 2012 jury verdict that found the company liable for infringing Apple’s patents were reduced yesterday: The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected Samsung’s request that the court reconsider the previous ruling without even issuing a comment on the matter, San Jose Mercury News reports.
Although earlier this year Samsung managed to successfully wipe part of the $1.05 billion in damages awarded to Apple, a huge chunk if that “bill” is still due: Samsung must pay $548 million from the first trial. Now, the South Korean company is fighting to cut that amount by $400 million, claiming the damages were wrongfully awarded.
In its current bid to overturn the ruling, Samsung argued that the Federal Circuit should rehear the case with its full 12-judge roster, because the three-judge panel erred earlier this year when it left the core of the jury’s verdict intact. According to the filing, Samsung said that a complex device such as a smartphone or tablet includes “hundreds or thousands of different patented technologies”, and that Apple’s patent covers only minor features of the aforementioned devices.
You may recall that other tech giants, such as Facebook, Google, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and more, penned a letter to the court backing Samsung in this case, claiming that a decision that favours Apple would have a devastating impact on companies that spend billions of dollars annually on research and development.
As the Federal Court has now upheld the previous ruling, Samsung’s only remaining legal option is an appeal to the US Supreme Court.
