Apple and Samsung finally settle 7-year-long patent infringement case
After an epic seven-year-long battle, it seems like Apple and Samsung have finally settled their patent infringement case. The case, which began in 2011, was the first of many lawsuits between Samsung and Apple, and cost both companies hundreds of millions. The end of the case should come as a relief to everyone, except maybe the lawyers involved. Here's more.
The terms of settlement aren't known, as of now
On Wednesday, according to court documents filed, the two smartphone manufacturing giants decided to settle the case. However, the terms of settlement weren't disclosed, and it's unclear who's coming out on top. It all started in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for "slavishly" copying the iPhone's design and software features. Apple had sought more than $2bn in damages from its South Korean competitor.
After five years, the case landed in the Supreme Court
In 2012, a US jury awarded Apple $1.05bn in damages for the copied features, which included design elements like displaying icons in a grid. Samsung, however, had appealed the decision, arguing that damages should be limited since its patent infringement involved only certain features. The case reached the Supreme Court in 2016, which ruled in favor of Samsung.
The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of Samsung
The Supreme Court reversed the decision by a lower court which had mandated that Samsung pay $399mn in damages to appeal. The Supreme Court held that even if Samsung had, in some of their products, copied a few features from Apple, it did not have to forfeit all of those products' profits to Apple. The decision of damages was delegated to the lower court.
