Case study
IllustRatIOn by antHOny FREda
The basic facts of the case seem
straightforward. The jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages (which the
judge might triple because Samsung
was found to have willingly copied
Apple). The lawsuit covered some two
dozen older devices mostly sold outside the U.S., not the current models
Samsung is pushing. 4 Apple will have
to go after the newer models and other
potential patent violations in separate
litigation, which it is doing. In fact, as
many as 250,000 patents are filed that
cover the design and functionality of
the iPhone and other smartphones,
and there are already dozens of lawsuits and countersuits between Apple
and Samsung in 10 countries. 6
Samsung has already fared bet-
ter overseas. A Japanese court found
in favor of Samsung, saying it did not
violate an Apple patent on technology
that synchronizes music and videos
between devices and servers. Though
Apple had sought only $1.3 million in
damages, this is a victory for Samsung.
A South Korean court also rendered a
mixed decision in another Apple ver-
sus Samsung patent case. 8
