Patent
US jury awards Apple $290 million in patent battle with Samsung
A US jury awarded Apple, Inc. $290.45 million Thursday following a re-trial in the protracted legal struggle between the American technology giant and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. The case held before the US District Court for the Northern District of California is the most recent iteration of a patent battle that has been ongoing for the past two years. A jury for the same court originally awarded Apple a $1.05 billion judgment against Samsung in 2012. However, Judge Lucy Koh in March of this year reduced the damages awarded by $450 million because she found that the jury calculated damages for certain infringing Samsung products based on improper legal grounds. Thursday's re-trial regarded the damages Koh had not upheld in March.
Apple has been involved in a continuous patent litigation battle with Samsung that spans four continents. The two companies have been engaged in patent litigation since 2010, each filing lawsuits against the other over the design and functionality of their devices. Last week the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered the reconsideration of Apple's request for an injunction against Samsung products based on allegations of utility patent infringement. Last month US President Barack Obama's administration upheld a decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban some Samsung products on the grounds that the products infringed on designs patented by Apple. In September the European Commission instructed Samsung to offer more concessions in their proposal to settle antitrust charges. In August the Obama administration overturned a US trade panel ban on the sale of older iPads and iPhones.
(Published by Jurist – November 21, 2013)