Appeals Court Overturns Apple's $120M Patent Infringement Win Over Samsung, Adds Insult To Injury In Countersuit
A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday overturned a 2014 jury verdict that found Samsung guilty of infringing on three of Apple's smartphone patents, and in doing so negated the $119.6 million award amount Apple was to receive. It's a big win for Samsung, which has typically been on the losing side of Apple's patent infringement claims.
The $119.6 million award amount was far less than the $2.2 billion Apple initially sought. According to Apple's original suit, Samsung infringed on no less than eight of its software patents. A jury originally sided with Apple and found that Samsung did in fact run afoul of certain patents, but just three of them, not all eight.
On Friday, a three-judge panel found that two of the patents dealing with the iPhone's slide-to-unlock and auto-correct features were invalid and should have never been granted in the first place, and that Samsung didn't infringe on a third patent.
"We have spent decades developing some of the most revolutionary products and services in the technology industry, and today's decision proves that we did not infringe on any of Apple's patents," Samsung said in a statement. "Today's decision is a win for consumer choice and puts competition back where it belongs -- in the marketplace, not in the courtroom."
It was a rough day in court for Apple. Not only did Samsung get Apple's $119.6 million verdict overturned, the appeals court also upheld a previous decision that Apple infringed on one of Samsung's patent. That counterclaim resulted in a $158,500 damages award for Samsung.
The $119.6 million award amount was far less than the $2.2 billion Apple initially sought. According to Apple's original suit, Samsung infringed on no less than eight of its software patents. A jury originally sided with Apple and found that Samsung did in fact run afoul of certain patents, but just three of them, not all eight.
On Friday, a three-judge panel found that two of the patents dealing with the iPhone's slide-to-unlock and auto-correct features were invalid and should have never been granted in the first place, and that Samsung didn't infringe on a third patent.
"We have spent decades developing some of the most revolutionary products and services in the technology industry, and today's decision proves that we did not infringe on any of Apple's patents," Samsung said in a statement. "Today's decision is a win for consumer choice and puts competition back where it belongs -- in the marketplace, not in the courtroom."
It was a rough day in court for Apple. Not only did Samsung get Apple's $119.6 million verdict overturned, the appeals court also upheld a previous decision that Apple infringed on one of Samsung's patent. That counterclaim resulted in a $158,500 damages award for Samsung.
