The verdict is in. It took the 9 person jury only 21 hours to come to the conclusion that Samsung infringed on Apple's patents, and the jury did not award Samsung anything in its counter suit. Samsung owes Apple $1.49 billion in damages, but the company might not pay that amount when it appeals the decision.
The jury's decision could have been even worse for Samsung. Originally, Apple sought over $2 billion in damages, but the jury did not see eye to eye with Apple on some of its patent claims. In other nations where similar trials are taking place, Apple gained next to nothing.
What forced to the jury to side with Apple was a series of Samsung internal documents which showed how the company compared its initial design of the Galaxy S with the iPhone. The design was not up to par, so it was suggested that the new design be made to be similar to Apple's handset. It is clear that Samsung took a huge gamble, which came back to haunt the company.
Samsung had the following to say after the verdict:
Today's verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple's claim. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.
Apple's statement:
We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung's copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. 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. We applaud the court for finding Samsung's behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn't right.
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