Verdict on Samsung-Apple

 

A US jury declared a verdict that orders Samsung Electronics to pay Apple US$290 million in damages. 

The amount falls short of the US$379.8 million requested by Apple, but is much higher than the US$52.7 million Samsung argued it should have to pay.

In August 2012, a previous jury at the US District Court for Northern California ruled damage compensation of US$1.05 billion for Apple, but the judge ordered a new trial, based on the conclusion that the amount Samsung owed was miscalculated. 

Apple had originally sought US$2.5 billion in damages from Samsung, arguing that Samsung had copied its designs for the bodies of the original iPhone and iPad, as well as user-interface elements such as the bounce-back response.

In March this year, District Judge Lucy Koh accepted US$640 million in a partial judgment. So, if Koh accepts the new verdict, Samsung will have to pay a total of US$930 million, which inches down only 12 percent, some US$120 million. 

Even if the verdict is accepted by the US court, it would not give Samsung a fatal blow, considering its operational profit reached 6.7 trillion won (US$6.3 billion) in the third quarter of this year. However, local industry has concerns that the tag of “Copying Apple” would give not a little hurt to the corporate image of Samsung as the global #1 smartphone maker. 

Samsung expressed regret over the jury’s verdict, saying that it plans to appeal the case and continue to roll out products and technologies loved by customers across the world. 

An industry source said, “This verdict is a representative case that the US’s pulling for its enterprises is getting stronger.”  

The court’s ruling is expected early next year. Samsung and Apple are currently locked in battles in courts of more than 10 countries across Europe.

Copyright © BusinessKorea. Prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and redistribution