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Apple Samsung Verdict: Apple Wins $1.05 Billion

By Robyn Hagan Cain on August 24, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

After only three days of jury deliberations, the "epic" battle between Apple and Samsung over phone and tablet designs is decided.

Apple is the big winner.

Attorneys for Apple and Samsung have been locking horns in courtrooms around the world as the two tech companies have accused one another of stealing patents and designs. (Just this week, a three-judge panel in Seoul decided that both companies had infringed on each other's patents and ordered a sales ban on older iPhones, iPads and Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets, The Washington Post reports.)

For the last few weeks, however, the Apple and Samsung have made themselves at home in the federal courthouse in San Jose, arguing about whether Samsung copied Apple's iPhone and iPad designs for its Galaxy phones and tablet.

To recap, for anyone who has actually been living under a rock (and had no Internet connection) while these two companies litigated around the world: Apple sued Samsung for $2.5 billion for stealing its iPhone and iPad designs. Samsung countersued Apple for $399 million for stealing its technology. The devices in question: 28 Samsung phones and tablets, and 5 Apple gadgets.

According to the Live Feed at The Verge -- brief thanks! -- the jury ruled:

  • Samsung had infringed on a number of Apple's patents
  • Samsung should have known that it was infringing
  • Samsung willfully infringed
  • Samsung did not prove that any of Apple's asserted patents were invalid, (this was one of the big questions in the case).

Damages in the Apple Samsung verdict? Samsung must pay Apple $1,051,855,000 (1 billion, 51 million 855 thousand dollars).

But there was still more bad news for Samsung: The jury found that Apple did not infringe on Samsung's utility patent claims.

In a little bit of good news for Samsung, the jury found that Apple did not prove that Samsung's utility patents were invalid. Apple also failed to prove that Samsung violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Apple did, however, wins its claim that Samsung is barred by patent exhaustion from enforcing its '516 and '914 patents.

Did Apple sweep this series? No, but it had a pretty good day.

With billions of dollars at stake, there's no way that this is the last stop on the patent infringement express. So let's take the weekend off, relax a little, and then get ready for Apple-Samsung Part II: Appellate Edition.

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