- By Charles Cooper and Greg Sandoval
- Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple's iPhone 4S
- History buffs will note that Apple scored one of the most lopsided victories since Agincourt on Tim Cook's one-year anniversary as the company's CEO. Late Friday, a jury in a San Jose, Calif., courtroom decided overwhelmingly in favor of Apple's patent claims against Samsung, awarding the company $1.05 billion in damages.
- The verdict is likely to reverberate throughout the tech world and beyond, but it won't have much immediate effect on consumers. The next steps will involve more legal action, with Samsung expected to file an appeal and Apple filing for injunctions on Samsung products that violate its patents.
- In a statement released shortly after the verdict, Samsung called the decision "a loss for the American consumer" that would reduce choice and innovation and possibly result in consumers paying higher prices:
- It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple's claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.
- "We applaud the court for finding Samsung's behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn't right," an Apple spokesperson said following the verdict.
- Little surprise there. Right now, nobody actually knows for certain how this is going to play out. But consumers could be affected in very real ways, depending on potentially different scenarios.
- See you back in court?
- While the victory is important for Apple, it shouldn't count its money just yet. The company still faces a federal circuit that reverses at least something in about half the cases it reviews. In addition, large patent verdicts have been frequently reversed or lowered. "It feels like it's over but it's got a long way to go yet," notes Brian Love, law professor at Santa Clara University.
- Apple v. Samsung: The verdict
- No matter how it may spin today's verdict, this was a big loss for Google. And don't expect Apple to stop here. By pursuing a harder legal tack against its rivals, Apple's gambit worked out to perfection. And if this puts any stumbling blocks in Android's path or raises any questions in the minds of potential smartphone makers and buyers, so much the better for Apple.
