Apple wins patent suit against Samsung

Apple won more than $1 billion in a massive victory on Friday over South Korean giant Samsung, in one of the biggest patent cases in decades — a verdict that could have huge market repercussions.

A jury in San Jose, California rejected Samsung’s counterclaims against Apple, according to media reports — a big win for the Silicon Valley giant, which had claimed its iconic iPhone and iPad had been illegally copied.

The jury, which had examined infringement claims and counter-claims by Apple and Samsung, ruled the South Korean electronics giant had infringed on a number of patents. The jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion. An appeal is expected.

After the verdicts were read, the judge sent the jury back to deliberate further on two inconsistencies involving about $2.5 million in damages awarded to Apple based on products jurors found didn’t infringe Apple’s patents. Those deliberations were continuing.

Samsung said the massive patent decision by a US jury in favor of Apple was a ‘loss for the American consumer’, and the verdict was ‘not the final word in this case’.

“Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer,” the South Korean electronics firm said after news of the $1 billion patent infringement award by a California jury.

The background

Apple Inc. filed its patent infringement lawsuit in April 2011 and engaged legions of the country’s highest-paid patent lawyers to demand $2.5 billion from its top smartphone competitor. Samsung Electronics Co. fired back with its own lawsuit seeking $399 million.

(excerpted from a press released. Photo credit: NASA)